Metals at the top of the activity series are highly reactive and are never found in nature as free elements. Moderately reactive metals (Zn, Fe, Pb, etc.) are found mainly as oxides, sulphides, or carbonates in the earth’s crust.
Why are metals at the top of the activity series (K, Na, Ca, Mg, and Al) not found in nature as free elements, and what are the common forms in which moderately reactive metals (Zn, Fe, Pb, etc.) are found in the earth’s crust?
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Metals at the top of the activity series (K, Na, Ca, Mg, and Al) are highly reactive, and their high reactivity makes them prone to forming compounds with other elements. Therefore, they are not found in nature as free elements. Instead, they are commonly found in the earth’s crust as various compounds like oxides, carbonates, or silicates. On the other hand, moderately reactive metals (Zn, Fe, Pb, etc.) are found in nature as ores, which are compounds containing the metal combined with other elements. For example, zinc is often found as sphalerite (ZnS), iron as hematite (Fe2O3), and lead as galena (PbS).