• Question: What is the most reactive chemical ever?

    Asked by chrissanger to Emma, Jen, Joseph, Michael, Mona on 18 Jun 2011.
    • Photo: Joseph Finlayson

      Joseph Finlayson answered on 15 Jun 2011:

      Out of the elements I think it’s Francium. It’s an alkali metal similar to caesium (which also goes boom when you add it to water, and even catches fire as soon as it touches air). Very little has ever created as it is so unstable, because as soon as you make it, it explodes in a nuclear reaction! There may be a compound that is more reactive than francium, but it would be very, very difficult to make without it exploding.

    • Photo: Jen Gupta

      Jen Gupta answered on 16 Jun 2011:

      Google seems to think that Fluorine is one of the most reactive elements but I honestly don’t know.

    • Photo: Emma Bennett

      Emma Bennett answered on 18 Jun 2011:

      I’m really not sure about this one but after asking a chemist they came up with potassium, florine or water but to be honest they weren’t too sure either so it looks like the jury is still out on this one.

Comments

  • Photo: Joseph

    Joseph commented on :

    Actually I may stand corrected. It depends on your definition of reactive. Francium is the most unstable (which means that it degrades into separate elements very quickly) out all the atoms but my friend pointed out that Flourine has the higher electronegativity – it has more capacity to donate an electron that Francium.