Question

Why does iron react better with steam than oxygen and water?

Answer 1

Because, reactions have to do with energy. Steam contains more energy than regular water as thermal energy had to be added to regular water to allow it to become steam. As a result, fe when come in contact with steam the added energy would give them a “boost” which would allow these metals to react. So , some metals which have lower reactivities might not have enough energy to react with oxygen and water but can react with steam. And some metals might have not even enough energy to react with steam.