Nickel is a metal that is not usually included in the school reactivity series. A student investigates its reactivity.
The table shows the results.
| Test | Observation |
|---|---|
| nickel added to copper(II) sulfate solution | brown solid forms on the nickel |
| nickel added to iron(II) sulfate solution | no change |
| nickel added to zinc sulfate solution | no change |
| nickel added to dilute hydrochloric acid | slow bubbling |
Nickel forms Ni2+\mathrm{Ni^{2+}}Ni2+ ions.
Deduce the position of nickel in the reactivity series. Justify your answer using the results.
Explain, in terms of the tendency to form ions, why nickel displaces copper from copper(II) sulfate solution.
Nickel sulfate solution is green. Predict what the student would observe if zinc powder were added to nickel sulfate solution. Justify your prediction using the results.
Write the balanced equation for the reaction between nickel and dilute hydrochloric acid.
2.95 g of nickel powder is added to 100 cm3\mathrm{cm^{3}}cm3 of 0.400 mol dm−3\mathrm{mol\,dm^{-3}}moldm−3 copper(II) sulfate solution. Ni(s)+CuSO4(aq)→NiSO4(aq)+Cu(s)\mathrm{Ni(s)} + \mathrm{CuSO_{4}(aq)} \rightarrow \mathrm{NiSO_{4}(aq)} + \mathrm{Cu(s)}Ni(s)+CuSO4(aq)→NiSO4(aq)+Cu(s) Determine which reactant is in excess and calculate the maximum mass of copper that forms. Relative atomic masses: Ni = 59.0, Cu = 63.5
45 exam-style questions on Edexcel GCSE Chemistry 5.1 Obtaining and using metals, covering 5.1.1 The reactivity series of metals, 5.1.2 Displacement reactions as redox reactions, 5.1.3 Extracting metals from ores by reduction, 5.1.4 Biological methods of metal extraction, 5.1.5 Resistance to oxidation and recycling metals, and 5.1.6 Life cycle assessment. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.