Reactivity series for common metals experiment.

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        LAB -- The Reactivity Series for the Common Metals                                        

        

CHEMISTRY LAB REPORT

The Reactivity Series for the Common Metals

Liliana Ospina

Chemistry Department


LAB REPORT

Aim

To see if a common metal is reactive or strong enough to replace/push out/displace another common metal from its liquid compound.

Hypothesis

My prediction will be: the most reactive metal shown by the reactivity series will show if the metal can displace or not the metal in the compound. For example my hypothesis in a reaction of Mg and Pb is that; Mg being a more reactive metal in the reactivity series will displace Pb, a least reactive metal in the series.

Equipment

  1. A chart with spaces big enough to proceed with the reaction. With the names of each different metals. For obvious reasons put an x from the top left corner to the inferior left corner.
  2. A glass bigger than the chart for the paper for protection of it.
  3. Each solid metal and metal compound for the reaction: Solid Metals: Magnesium (4), Copper(4), Iron(4), Zinc(4), Lead(4). Liquid Metal Compounds: Copper Sulphate, Iron Chloride, Magnesium Sulphate, Zinc Nitrate, Lead Nitrate.
  4. A teat pipette.
  5. Another table, but smaller, to record data.

Procedure/Method

  1.  Get all required elements you are going to need, this elements are listed above.
  2.  Put the glass on top of the table of reactions.
  3. Clean all metals, until they are shiny and clean.
  4.  Place 4 times the same metal on its corresponding column and different square; for all the metals(5).
  5. Add carefully with the teat pipette one or two drops of the metal compound indicated directly onto the  solid metal.
  6. Observe for changes, take into account that if the texture or color are altered, it means that there has been displacement, reaction.
  7. Write your observations.
  8. Results should be written in a neat table, as tick if there was reaction, X if there was none and  ? If not sure.
  9. Analyze and conclude from your data.
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Results

Table of Results:

Data Analysis

From the table above, we can conclude that the most reactive metal is Magnesium (Mg), since it reacts with all the metal compounds except itself (Magnesium Sulphate). Then will come Zinc (Zn) , reacting with 2 Metal Compounds. Iron(Fe) will be less reactive than Zn and reacting with only 1 Metal Compound. Finally the least reactive Solid Metal will be Copper and Lead, reacting with none metal compounds.

 Balanced Formulas

Results were not done as shown in the lab, but in theory, since those are the most accurate ones. The diagonal Xs ...

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