For instance, when an acid and a metal react, the reaction is called a single replacement reaction and the products are a metal ion and H2 gas. Any time an alkali metal is reacted with metal hydroxide ( OH - ) and H2 gas are produced. The purpose of this account is to show how the activity series is determined, how metals and their properties are related to each other, and how the study of the patterns of the series are used in everyday life. .
Experimental.
Major materials used: 6M HCl; a dropper bottle containing each of the following solutions: Ca(NO3)2 , Mg(NO3 )2 , Zn(NO3 )2 , Fe(NO3 )3 , FeSO4 , and Cu(NO3 )2 ; varying numbers of small, solid samples of the following metals: Calcium ( 6), Magnesium 96), Zinc (6), Iron (5), Tin (7), and Copper (6); and a transparency divided into 42 boxes. .
The laboratory followed procedures as outlined in the lab handout, with the exception of the transparency as opposed to the test tubes. ( Handout 150) For part (A) three drops of 6 M HCl were placed on top of each solid sample of metal in the first column of transparency. The forms that each metal came in varied from iron wool to tiny grains of Zinc to Copper wire and to chunks of Magnesium. Each combination was performed one sample at a time in order to allow for each reaction, or lack of, to be observed and documented. Observations included information such as how violent the reaction was, if there was a reaction, what happened to the metal sample, and/or the color resulted. The results of the experiment and the net ionic equation for each are displayed in TABLE I, RESULTS section. .
Experiment (A) was then followed with procedure as directed in part (B). Using the same transparency, and being very cautious so as not to contaminate the other boxes, samples of the metals were placed in each square creating a grid similar to that of TABLE II .
