A student investigates the reaction of different metals with dilute acids.
They add a piece of metal X to an excess of dilute sulfuric acid:
metal+sulfuric acid→metal sulfate+hydrogen \text{metal} + \text{sulfuric acid} \rightarrow \text{metal sulfate} + \text{hydrogen} metal+sulfuric acid→metal sulfate+hydrogenBubbles of hydrogen gas are produced at first, but the reaction quickly stops. Much of the solid metal X remains at the bottom of the test tube.
Explain why the reaction stops, even though there is still solid metal and excess acid remaining.
276 exam-style questions on Edexcel GCSE Chemistry 4.1 Acids, covering 4.1.1 Acids, alkalis and the pH scale, 4.1.2 Hydrogen ion concentration and pH, 4.1.3 Dilute and concentrated, weak and strong acids, 4.1.4 Bases, alkalis and the reactions of acids, 4.1.5 Chemical tests for hydrogen and carbon dioxide, 4.1.6 Neutralisation as a reaction of acids with bases, 4.1.7 Preparing soluble salts, and 4.1.8 Solubility rules and preparing insoluble salts. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.