A student adds a piece of each of four metals to separate test tubes of dilute hydrochloric acid.
The table shows the student's observations.
| Metal | Observations |
|---|---|
| copper | no bubbles |
| iron | a few bubbles form slowly |
| magnesium | many bubbles form quickly; the metal disappears in 1 minute |
| zinc | bubbles form steadily |
Put the four metals in order of reactivity.
Start with the most reactive.
The student uses the same volume of acid in each test tube.
State two other variables that the student must control.
Zinc reacts with hydrochloric acid, HCl, to make zinc chloride, ZnCl₂, and hydrogen.
Write the balanced symbol equation for this reaction.
Explain the order of reactivity of the metals in terms of their tendency to form positive ions.
Write the ionic equation for the reaction of magnesium with the hydrogen ions in the acid.
Metal X is more reactive than zinc but less reactive than magnesium.
Predict what the student would see when a piece of metal X is added to zinc sulfate solution.
Explain your prediction.
60 exam-style questions on OCR GCSE Chemistry 4.1 Predicting chemical reactions, covering 4.1.1 Properties and trends in Groups 1, 7 and 0, 4.1.2 Properties of the transition metals, 4.1.3 Reactivity predicted from position in the Periodic Table, and 4.1.4 Reactivity of metals and the reactivity series. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.