Name: ______Date: ______Period: ______

Activity Series Simulation

An activity series is a way of organizing substances based on their chemical activity. Using the website provided, you will make several observations and determine an activity series for several metals.

Background Information:

A single replacement reaction is one in which one element replaces another element in a compound. In the following reaction, zinc replaces the copper in copper(II) chloride:

Zn (s)+ CuCl2 (aq) ZnCl2 (aq)+ Cu (s)

If you were to observe this reaction, you would witness the decomposition of zinc metal and the simultaneous formation of copper metal. This reaction occurs because zinc is more active than copper, therefore zinc can replace copper in an aqueous compound.

The products of single replacement reactions can be predicted by looking at the Activity Series of Metals. The Activity Series orders metals (and hydrogen) from most active to least active. Elements which are higher in the activity series can replace elements which are lower

In this simluation, you will be determining your own activity series based on your observations of single replacement reactions. You will check your results against your activity series reference sheet at the end of class.

An Example: A student put small pieces of lithium, tin and gold into separate test tubes filled with water. The lithium reacted vigorously while the others did not. He concluded that lithium is more reactive than tin and gold. Next, he places a piece of gold into a solution of tin (II) chloride and observes no signs of a chemical reaction.He concluded that gold must be less reactive than tin. By combining these two pieces of information he created an activity series with lithium at the top, tin in between, and gold at the bottom.

Pre-lab: A piece of platinum is placed in a solution containing chromium ions. No reaction is observed. A piece of chromium is then placed in a solution containing tin ions. A solid different than the chromium seems to appear. When a piece of platinum is then placed in a solution containing tin ions, no reaction is observed. Order these metals as they would appear in an activity series.

Simulation Procedure:

  1. Go to the website:
  2. Click on the “experiment” section.
  3. Click on each metal (Cu, Pb, Mg, Ag, and Zn) and record your observations about the metal and the color of solutions containing its ions in Data Table 1. **Do not perform the reactions until you have done this for all assigned metals**
  4. Click on each metal (Cu, Pb, Mg, Ag and Zn) and perform the reactions outlined in Data Table 2. Record your observations in Data Table 2. **Make sure to compare what you see with what the reactants looked like initially to determine if a reaction occurred. If no reaction occur (you don’t see any changes) write “NR” in the data table.**

Data Table 1: Physical appearance of Metals and their SolutionsDate: ______

Metal / Observations of solid / Observations of ions in solution
Copper
Lead
Magnesium
Silver
Zinc

Data Table 2:Observations of Chemical ReactionsDate: ______

HCl / AgNO3 / CuSO4 / MgSO4 / Pb(NO3)2 / ZnSO4
Copper / X / X
Lead / X / X
Magnesium / X / X
Silver / X / X / X
Zinc / X / X / X / X

Data Analysis:

  1. Rank the metals (Mg) you tested in order of reactivity, beginning with the most reactive metal at the top and least reactive metal at the bottom.(Hint: what does reactive mean?)
  1. Where do you think hydrogen fits in (based on its reactions)? Write H into your activity series above in a different color.

Conclusion & Interpretation:

  1. Explain how the activity series can be used to predict single displacement reactions.
  1. Many people use copper piping to route water through their homes. Explain why magnesium could not be used.