Chemistry report - The aim of this practical is to observe the difference in the reactivity between Mg and Ca when hot and cold water is added.

Procedure

1. The Magnesium was cleaned with sandpaper.
2. Two pieces of magnesium was put into two test tubes and two pieces of calcium was put into two test tubes.
3. Cold water was added into two test tubes one with calcium one with magnesium.
4. Two droplets of phenolphalein were added in each of the test tubes filled with cold water to observe the change in ph.
5. Water was heated over a Benson burner and poured into the two test tubes without water while observing the reactions.
6. Two droplets of phenolphalein were added in each of the test tubes filled with cold water to observe the change in ph.

Observation

Results

Are your results in accordance with what you have learned about reactivity?

Yes because calcium has more orbits the atom has the less energy it needs to give away electrons. In this case the atom that has more orbits is the calcium that is why it reacts more than the magnesium because calcium needs less energy to give electrons away. And the magnesium didn’t react much because it needs more energy that the one that we gave it.

Write the balanced equation for the reaction between Mg and H2O:

Mg (s) + H2O (l)                  MgO (s) + H2 (g)

Uncertainties

Other element might have been present.

The hot water might have been heated more.

Conclusion

We learned that both magnesium and calcium is basic solutions because of the pink tint to the color. We also learned that calcium reacted faster than magnesium.