The purpose of this lab was to become familiar with a method for determining the relative activities of metals as reducing agents. The first experiment tested the reaction of sodium with water. A test tube was filled with water and inverted in a large beaker of water ...

For this experiment, six test tubes were placed on a rack, labeled, and filled with the following samples: a 1cm by 2cm strip of copper, a piece of aluminum wire (cleaned with sandpaper), a piece of tinfoil, a piece of iron wire (cleaned with sandpaper), a piece of magnesium, and a piece of zinc. 5 mL of a 6M solution of hydrochloric acid was quickly added to each sample, the relative rates of hydrogen evolution were observed, and the six metals were arranged in order of their chemical activity (8).

A familiarity with a method for determining the relative activities of metals as reducing agents was obtained. In the first section, very active metals replaced the hydrogen in water, forming their hydroxide and releasing hydrogen. The more active metals evolved hydrogen more quickly. In the second section, active metals replaced the hydrogen in hydrochloric acid, forming their chloride salt and releasing hydrogen gas. Again, hydrogen was evolved more quickly by the more active metals, because the rate of hydrogen evolution depends on the activity of the metal and the strength of the acid.
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