Chemical Properties of Some Metals
Introduction: All metals have certain properties in common. In this experiment, you will test several
metals and their reactivity with water and hydrochloric acid. To organize the information
in this experiment, a chart of your observations is required. The metals to be tested are
sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, aluminum and lithium.
Purpose:
In this experiment, I will determine the reactivity of six different metals with water and
acid.
Materials:
Beakers, Test Tubes, Hydrochloric Acid (HCl), splints, water, sodium, potassium, calcium,
lithium, aluminum, magnesium
Procedure:
Part 1 - REACTIVITY WITH WATER
CAUTION: Sodium and potassium react vigorously with water; follow the directions carefully.
Wear goggles at all times!
1.
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Obtain a piece of freshly cut sodium abut ½ the size of a match head from your teacher. Do
not touch it with your hands. Place it on a piece of dry paper toweling. Using forceps place
the sodium into a 250 ml beaker that is ½ full with tap water and immediately cover it with
wire gauze. What appears to happen to the sodium? Would you call the rate of reaction slow,
moderate or rapid? If a gas is released it is hydrogen gas. Record your observations in the
data table. Pour the contents of the beaker in the drain and rinse.
Follow the same procedure as above with a piece of potassium. Again, if a gas is produced, it
is hydrogen gas. Record your observations. Empty the beaker contents and rinse the beaker.
Set up four medium sized test tubes in a test tube rack and fill each with about 2 ml of tap
water.
In the first test tube place a piece of calcium metal. You may touch the calcium if your hands
are DRY. The gas produced is hydrogen gas. As the gas is being released at a rapid rate,
attempt to “explode” the hydrogen gas by holding a burning splint to the mouth of the test
tube. Record your observations. Pour out the contents of the test tube in the sink and rinse out
the test tube.
One at a time, add a small piece of each of the other metals (lithium, magnesium, and
aluminum) to separate test tubes with 2 ml of tap water. Test the gas with the burning splint, if
the reaction produces a sufficient quantity. Record your observations. Pour out the contents of
the tubes and rinse.
Part 2 – REACTIVITY WITH DILUTE ACID
NOTE: The reaction of sodium and potassium with dilute acids is too dangerous to try in the high
school laboratory. These will be shown to you on video. Please record your observations from
the video.
1.
Using the four rinsed-out test tubes from part 1, fill each tube with 2 ml of 6M HCl. To each
test tube add, one at a time, a small amount of calcium, magnesium, lithium and aluminum. If
a gas is produced it is hydrogen gas. You can test the gas with a burning splint if you wish.
Record your observations. Empty the contents of the test tubes in the sink and rinse out the
test tubes with water.
Data table for Chemical Properties of Some Metals
Metal
Reaction with water Reaction with Acid
Sodium
Potassium
Calcium
Lithium
Magnesium
Aluminum
Questions:
1. a) Draw a diagram showing the positions of each element in relationship to each other (hint: look
at the periodic table). b) Draw an arrow from the top left side to the top right side of the diagram.
c) Draw an arrow from the top left side to the bottom left side of the diagram.
2. Discuss what trends you see as you move across a period with how these metals reacted with
acid? With water?
3. Discuss what trends you see as you move down a group with how these metals reacted with
acid? With water?
4. Which group reacts most readily with acid? With water? Give an explanation using electron
configuration as to why this is the case.
5. Francium is the most reactive metal of all known metals. Explain this using the electron
arrangement of this metal.