Activity Series of Metals Lab
Some metals are more reactive than others. To develop the Activity Series of Metals,
compare the way in which copper, magnesium, zinc, lead, and tin react with five different
solutions.
Materials
1. Well plate
2. pipettes
3. 5 pieces of each metal (copper, magnesium, zinc, and aluminum)
4. steel wool
5. Aqueous solutions
a. Copper (II) Nitrate, 0.1M
b. Magnesium Nitrate4, 0.1M
c. Aluminum Nitrate, 0.1M
d. Silver Nitrate, 0.1M
e. Zinc (II) Nitrate, 0.1M
Procedure
1. Obtain one pipette of each solution, use a well plate to hold the solutions
2. Arrange the solutions so that they match the order of the chemicals in your data
table. You will have four groups.
Metal Tested
Copper
Magnesium
Zinc
Aluminum
Group
One
Two
Three
Four
3. Clean each strip of metal with steel wool.
4. Fill the well with the proper chemical about ¾ full. Do not fill the well plate to the
top.
5. Place a clean piece of metal in the well plate with the correct metal group.
6. Construct a data table and record observations at 2 minutes, 5 minutes, and 10
minutes. Keep careful observations of both metal strips and the solutions. Record
any changes in the appearance of the metal and the solution
7. Rinse the metal with water and clean the metal with steel wool.
8. All metal solution pipettes will be collected in appropriate containers at the
designated area.
9. Clean, dry, and return all equipment.
Data and Observations
Data Table
1. Copper (II)
Metal Strip
Nitrate
2. Magnesium
Nitrate
3. Aluminum
Nitrate
4. Silver
Nitrate
5. Zinc (II)
Nitrate
a. Copper
b. Magnesium
c. Zinc
d. Aluminum
Questions
1. Write a balanced chemical equation for each of the reactions that could occur.
1a.
2a.
3a.
4a.
5a.
1b.
2b.
3b.
4b.
5b.
1c.
2c.
3c.
4c.
5c.
1d.
2d.
3d.
4d.
5d.
Circle the number of the equations where a reaction did not occur.
2. Draw a chart that shows the reactivity of each solution and identify the metal ion in
the solution being tested.
3. Based on your observations, predict the activity series of the metals starting with the
most reactive and ending with the least reactive.
Conclusion: On the back of this paper, write a conclusion paragraph.