Summary

In this game, students will explore the activity series of metals by observing interactions between metals and metal ions. The game starts with a brief tutorial followed by a “capture the flag” game where students “steal” electrons based on the activity series. Then students play a pong-style game based on reactivity to earn points. Finally, there are two extension activities for students to view videos of real-world reactions and create particle models of these reactions.

Grade Level

High School

NGSS Alignment

This game will help prepare your students to meet the performance expectations in the following standards:

• HS-PS1-2: Construct and revise an explanation for the outcome of a simple chemical reaction based on the outermost electron states of atoms, trends in the periodic table, and knowledge of the patterns of chemical properties.
• Scientific and Engineering Practices:
  • Developing and Using Models

Objectives

By the end of this game, students should be able to:

• Interpret the activity series of metals to determine which metal is more reactive.
• Predict whether a reaction will occur based on the activity series of metals.

Chemistry Topics

This game supports students’ understanding of:

• Chemical reactions
• Electrochemistry
• Activity series
• Electron transfer
• Ions

Time

Teacher Preparation: minimal

Lesson: 30 minutes

Materials

• Student handout
• Device connected to the Internet
• Access to game: https://teachchemistry.org/classroom-resources/activity-series-game

Safety

• No specific safety precautions need to be observed for this activity.

Teacher Notes

• Many thanks to Steve Sogo, retired chemistry teacher from Laguna Beach High School, for creating this game and sharing it with the chemistry education community.
• The game can be found at the following link (note that students can access the game without an AACT login):
  • https://teachchemistry.org/classroom-resources/activity-series-game
• In this game, students will explore the activity series of metals and are tasked with applying their understanding of it in order to be successful. They will be presented with a variety of scenarios in which they have to select a metal that will “steal” electrons from another metal based on their relative reactivities (provided in the form of an activity series).
  • Note that this game describes metals as “weaker” (top of the activity series) and “stronger” (bottom of the activity series). This refers to how strongly the metals hold on to their electrons relative to one another: the “weaker” metals don’t hold on to their electrons very strongly and are the “more reactive” metals because they are more likely to lose electrons to form ions/compounds. Similarly, metals at the bottom of the list have a “stronger” hold on their electrons and are “less reactive” because they are less likely to lose electrons to form ions/compounds.
  • Some of the questions in the student handout help students make the connection between these various ways of talking about relative reactivity, since they may encounter both the “weaker”/“stronger” and “more reactive”/“less reactive” categorizations.
• The extension portions of the game have students view real-world videos of reactions taking place and make models based on what they learned from the first two sections of the game.
• This game can be beneficial for students at any level – students should have some understanding of chemical reactions and atomic structure, but it does not require prior electrochemistry knowledge.
• This game would fit well at any point in an electrochemistry unit, particularly when first introducing the concept of redox reactions and electron transfer. Other AACT resources that would complement this game include:
  • Simulation: Metals in Aqueous Solutions
  • Lab: Activity Series of Unknown Metals
  • Lab: Investigating the Activity Series of Metals
  • Project: Wastewater Recovery
    • This game and the above resources could provide a good foundation before lessons on galvanic/voltaic cells, electrolysis and electrolytic cells, redox reactions and half reactions, and other related electrochemistry topics.
    • If using this game later in an electrochemistry unit, consider having students write half reactions and net ionic equations for the reactions shown in the game.
• This game could also be used in combination with other games and multimedia resources as a fun way to review concepts relating to ionic compounds and their reactions:
  • Game: Matchmaker: Ionic Bonding – ionic compound names and formulas
  • Game: Precipitation Reactions Game – solubility rules and precipitation reactions
  • Simulation: Predicting Products – apply activity series and solubility knowledge
• Note that the focus of this game is on helping students understand the activity series and the relative reactivity of metals, not the stoichiometry of these reactions. Metal ions are shown taking electrons from less reactive metal atoms without accounting for the stoichiometry involved in the electron transfers.
  • Most of the ions used in the game have a 2+ charge, so it would be a 1:1 exchange – one Cu²⁺ ion takes two electrons from one Fe atom to form Fe²⁺, for instance.
  • Silver is the only ion with a 1+ charge in this game. When silver ions take electrons from other metals, the animations in the game show this happening with just one silver ion coming into contact with the other metal atom. In reality, two silver ions would be required to remove two electrons from another metal to form a 2+ ions, but the general outcome – silver ions gaining electrons and becoming atoms, other metals losing electrons and becoming ions – should be the focus.
  • If students notice this stoichiometry mismatch, it could be a great opportunity to discuss limitations of models.
• The game contains several different interactive modes to help students visualize what is happening on a particulate level when a metal ion reacts with another metal atom:
  • Tutorial:
    • The tutorial introduces students to some of the basic electrochemistry terms and concepts that will be used throughout the game, including ions, atoms, electron transfer, and the activity series.
  • Game 1 – Capture the Flag:
    • Students use an activity series to select a metal that will “defeat” the computer opponent’s metal by stealing its electrons. An animation shows moving ions and stationary metal atoms until one of the ions takes the electrons from the opposing metal. A slow-motion animation of electrons being transferred from a metal atom to a different metal ion is shown as well. There are three rounds, and the player has three metals to choose from, but once a metal is used, it cannot be used again. The metals for the computer opponent and the player do not change.
  • Game 1 Bonus Round – Capture the Flag Duel:
    • The gameplay is the same as the previous section, except that the computer’s metals and the player’s metal choices are randomized and players continue playing and earning points until they lose. Each time they beat the computer’s metal, they earn 25 points, and a bonus 25 points when they use all three metals and complete one round. More points will earn a better medal (silver, gold, or platinum). Students have three “upgrade tokens” that can upgrade any of their metal choices to silver if none of their remaining options will beat the computer.
  • Game 2 – Breakout:
    • Students use a paddle to bounce ions toward metal atoms in this pong-style game. Students will eliminate the atoms and earn points if their ion hits a metal atom that it would steal electrons from (is higher on the activity series). They earn more points for atoms that are harder to steal electrons from. (Ex: a magnesium atom is only worth 5 points, since any of the other metal ions could steal its electrons, but a copper atom is worth 25 points since only silver or gold ions could steal its electrons.) If students earn enough points, they will move to the next round. Based on their total points between all three rounds, students can earn a silver, gold, or platinum medal.
  • Extension: Model a Mystery Electron Transfer Reaction:
    • In this extension activity, a timelapse video of a penny in a clear solution is shown, where white crystals form on the surface of the penny. Students are then asked to make a model of the reaction by selecting ions or atoms for the various substances that are involved in the reaction. As they saw in the previous sections of this game, students should recognize that charged ions can move through solution while solid metal atoms are stationary. They will also apply knowledge of the activity series of metals to determine which ions could take electrons from the copper of the penny. (See the note on the previous page about the model in this game focusing on reactivity and not stoichiometry, as this applies here as well.)
  • Extension: Model Copper Sulfate + Zinc Reaction:
    • Similar to the first extension activity, a timelapse video is shown, this time of zinc metal in a copper(II) sulfate solution. The model used in this game accounts for the presence of water molecules and the role they play in separating ions in solution. It is the same type of model used in the “Matchmaker: Ionic Bonding” game where cations have one concave area for each missing electron and anions have one convex area for each extra electron. Students earn points for each copper ion that reacts with a zinc atom and the amount of time remaining. Zinc atoms are shown losing two electrons to become zinc ions, and each zinc atom that transfers its electrons to copper makes one copper ion into a copper atom.
• The student handout is divided into three parts:
  • Part 1 should be completed prior to beginning the game as it introduces students to vocabulary and concepts related to the activity series of metals.
  • Part 2 should be completed after playing the game as it challenges the students to answer similar types of questions, but without the visual aid provided in the game. These questions will help to ensure that students can interpret and apply the activity series to a variety of scenarios.
  • The final “Challenge” portion of the student handout provides several questions to help students think more broadly about reactivity in real-world contexts. There are multiple questions provided, and teachers can choose which (if any) they would like to include for their students.
• An Answer Key document is available for teacher reference.