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The order of reactivity of copper, magnesium and zinc can be determined by the displacement reactions between these metals and solutions of their salts - Edexcel - GCSE Chemistry - Question 7 - 2021 - Paper 1
Question 7
The order of reactivity of copper, magnesium and zinc can be determined by the displacement reactions between these metals and solutions of their salts. You are pr... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:The order of reactivity of copper, magnesium and zinc can be determined by the displacement reactions between these metals and solutions of their salts - Edexcel - GCSE Chemistry - Question 7 - 2021 - Paper 1
Step 1
Describe the experiments that can be done to determine the order of reactivity of these metals by displacement reactions.
Answer
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Preparation of Solutions: Prepare solutions of copper sulfate, magnesium sulfate, and zinc sulfate in separate beakers.
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Conducting Displacement Reactions: Take small pieces of each metal (copper, magnesium, and zinc) and submerge them in the respective sulfate solutions one at a time. Observe the reactions for each combination.
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Observation: Record any observable changes, such as color change or gas evolution. The more reactive metal will replace the less reactive metal in the sulfate solution, resulting in a greater number of reactions. The metal that displaces the most metals in the solutions demonstrates the highest reactivity.
Step 2
Explain why aluminium cannot be extracted from its ore by heating with carbon but can be extracted by electrolysis.
Answer
Aluminium is more reactive than carbon, which means heating aluminium ore with carbon does not lead to a reduction of aluminium ions; instead, no reaction occurs. In contrast, electrolysis is utilized because it can effectively reduce aluminium ions to metallic aluminium, overcoming the high reactivity of aluminium.