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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 pro... 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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Prepare Solutions: Prepare separate beakers for each metal sulfate solution: copper sulfate, magnesium sulfate, and zinc sulfate.
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Introduce Metals: Place small samples of copper, magnesium, and zinc in each beaker, one at a time. It's essential to record the initial appearance and color of the solutions.
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Observe Reactions: Observe which metals displace the other from their sulfate solutions. A more reactive metal will cause a noticeable color change or sediment formation, indicating a reaction has occurred. The more reactive metals will show a greater number of reactions with the solutions.
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, meaning it cannot be reduced by carbon as it forms a stable compound with oxygen. Therefore, when attempting to extract aluminium by heating its ore with carbon, no reaction occurs. Instead, the process of electrolysis is used as it effectively reduces aluminium ions to aluminium metal, making it a more efficient method for extraction.