Noah Frey January 16, 2014

Zinc, Aluminum, Magnesium and Copper

in Hydro Chloric Acid
Title:
Date: January 16, 2014
Science Lab Report: Reactivity of Metals


Background Information:
Consists of four metals: Zinc, Aluminum, Magnesium and Copper.
Testing reactivity of each metal to Hydro Chloric Acid.


Aim:
Get a good perspective of which of these four metals (Zinc, Magnesium,
Aluminum, Copper) reacts most with Hydro Chloric Acid.


Variables:
Independent Variable: Zinc, Magnesium, Copper, Aluminum
Dependent Variable: Increase or Decrease in Mass
Constant: Concentration, Amount and Volume of Acid, Space of Time for reaction
to take place.


Hypothesis:
I believe that Magnesium will react the most with Hydro Chloric Acid. This is
because my resources from the Internet put Magnesium the highest of all the
metals on the Activity Series.
(What is an activity series, and how is it used?, General Chemistry Online)

Noah Frey January 16, 2014
Materials:
1. Copper 0.43 grams
2. Magnesium 0.06 grams
3. Aluminum 0.17 grams
4. Zinc 1.86 grams
5. Hydro chloric acid 0.1 molar
6. 4 glass test tubes
7. Tweezers
8. Test tube rack
9. Measuring cylinder
10. Electronic Scale (preferably in grams)
11. Stop watch
12. Tissue Paper



Diagram:
















Test
Tube
Test Tube
Stand
Hydro
Chloric Acid
Metal
Noah Frey January 16, 2014
Method:
1. Collect all the materials
2. Weigh the metals. Write your measurement in a table.
3. Pour between 5 and 8 ml (depending on the size of your metal) of Hydro
Chloric Acid into your measuring cylinder then pour it into a test tube.
4. Repeat point three, three times.
5. Then put Aluminum, Zinc, Copper and Magnesium into their own test
tubes with Hydro Chloric Acid all at the same time.
6. Start your stopwatch and let it run for 10 minutes.
7. Record your observations during those 10 minutes.
8. Dry the Metals with tissue paper
9. After the 10 minutes weigh the metals to see their reactivity depending
on the percentage mass lost or gained. Calculate the metal that reacted
most i.e. shared the highest loss in mass or gain. Record the answers in a
table.
10. To calculate the percentage you subtract, the endings weight with the
starting weight to get the difference in mass, and then you divide the
difference by the starting weight to get the percentage change.


Results:
Reactivity of Metals When in Contact with Hydro Chloric Acid
Metal Before (g) After (g) Change in
Mass (g)
Percentage
Change
Al 0.17 0.15 0.02 - 11.76%
Cu 0.43 0.52 0.09 20.93%
Mg 0.07 0.001 0.069 - 98.93%
Zn 1.86 1.76 0.1 -5.37

Magnesium and Zinc were fizzing during most of the 10 minute period, which
implies high reactivity.

Noah Frey January 16, 2014
Observations:
Magnesium:
Immediately releases a lot of bubbles.
It feels very hot.
Liquid bubbles start forming above the liquid after 2 minutes.
Zinc:
Starts releasing bubbles slowly after two minutes.
Bubbling up a lot after 5 minutes.
Luke warm 5m30s
Liquid bubbles start forming above the liquid after 6 minutes.
Aluminum:
Starts reacting after 8 minutes.
Few bubbles form.
Copper:
No Change
No Gas released

Mass Changes:
Zinc weighed 1.86g at the beginning and 1.76g at the end.
I did: 1.86g 1.76g = 0.1g
For the percent you just divide the difference by the start number.
0.1 / 1.86 =

Magnesium started weight 0.07, end weight 0.001
0.07g 0.001g = 0.069g
For the percent you just divide the difference by the start number.

The same method of calculations is used for all of the other metals



Noah Frey January 16, 2014

Analysis:


The four metals are always tested against the same liquid, which was Hydro
Chloric Acid. The time period of testing was always around 10 minutes.
Conclusion:
In this Lab I discovered that Magnesium reacts the most with Hydro Chloric Acid,
after that comes Aluminum and then Zinc, Copper doesnt react at all. The
reaction showed itself in the form of bubbles, which is the release of CO2.
Magnesium in Hydro Chloric Acid produced the most bubbles, i.e. CO2. In this
reaction, Magnesium lost nearly 100%of its weight, i.e. nearly dissolved.
Magnesium appears to be a highly reactive metal, which is what I firstly
predicted.
In the Big Picture, this lab exercised taught us something about Magnesium,
Zinc, Aluminum and Copper and the effects of exposing them to Hydro Chloric
Acid. We now know that Magnesium or Aluminum should not come in contact
with Hydro Chloric Acid.




-120
-100
-80
-60
-40
-20
0
20
40
Al Cu Mg Zn
C
h
a
n
g
e

i
n

M
a
s
s

(
P
e
r
c
e
n
t
)

Metal
Reactivity of Metals, Measured in
Percentage Lost when in HCL
Percentage change
Noah Frey January 16, 2014

Evaluation:
I think that my method of testing was effective. I worked fast. It helped that there
were many other people doing the lab exercise with me. We could write down
our observations allowing us to easily collect data. I believe that the measuring
scale we worked with was trustable, and it showed correct readings.
The only small result that I thought was unrealistic was that Copper ended up
heavier than before. That could have been due to the liquid attached to the metal.
The method I applied also helped me answer the question asked. It ended up
giving me satisfying results, helped me to answer all my questions and was fast (I
was able to do it in a 45 minute block).
I evaluate that my hypothesis turned out to be correct, meaning that it was a very
valid hypothesis.
If I believe that if I made more trial runs it would have worked better. If I were to
extend the lab exercise I would test it against other liquids for example oil,
kerosene and petrol. I would see if the same results are shown. I mightve also
tried other metals ex: Sodium, Iron and Potassium.
These additional tests would allow me to understand the reactions of different
metals in more detail.


Works Cited
"What is an activity series, and how is it used?." General Chemistry Online:
FAQ: Redox reactions:. N.p., 15 Feb. 2010. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.
<http://antoine.frostburg.edu/chem/senese/101/redox/faq/activity-
series.shtml>.