Reactivity and the periodic table.

* The most active metals are on the LHS of the periodic table, as group 1. Their reactivity increases as you move down the group.

* The next most reactive are the group 2 metals. Their reactivity also increases as you move down.

* Metals of moderate activity lie on the edge of the metal zone (such as Al, Cr, Zn, Fe, Co and Ni)

* There is no real pattern for the others, except that the least reactive are located in the lower central region of the transition netals.

The reactivity down the group in groups 1 and 2 are related to the decreasing first ionisation energies down the group. This is related to the increase in the atomic radii.