METAL REACTIVITY SERIES AND DISPLACEMENT REACTIONS 2

As a follow on form the previous post here is a bit more info...

DISPLACEMENT REACTION IN SOLUTION
A more reactive metal will displace a metal from it's compound in solution.
Observations could include:

• the more reactive metal gradually dissolves
• the less reactive metal coats the more reactive metal
• the solution may change colour
• theat is given out because these reactions are exothermic
• fizzing may occur

Here are two examples of these reactions:

1. Magnesium and Copper Sulphate solution

Magnesium is more reactive than Copper so it displaces Copper from the Copper Sulphate Solution.

The Word equation is:

Magnesium + Copper Sulphate

---------> Magnesium Sulphate + Copper

The Magnesium has been coated with Copper in this displacement reaction

2. Iron and Copper Sulphate Solution

Iron is more reactive than Copper so it displaces the Copper from the Copper Sulphate Solution.

The word equation for this reaction is:

Iron + Copper Sulphate

------------> Iron Sulphate + Copper

The Iron becomes coated with Copper in this displacement reaction

However the rate of this reaction is much slower (it takes much longer) as Iron and Copper are much closer together in the Reactivity Series

Metal                           Compound in Solution

                                     MgSo4            CuSo4            FeSo4

Mg                               No                    Yes                 Yes                             

Cu                                No                     No                 No

Fe                                No                      Yes                No

• 
  
  A metal will not react with it's compound
• 
  
  Magnesium is the most reactive of the three because it reacted with the other two metals
• 
  
  Copper is the least reactive because it didn't react with compounds of  the other two metals
• 
  
  Note that the compound itself is not important, only the metal it contains, so Copper Nitrate, for example, would give the same answer as Copper Sulphate

Displacement reactions also occur with solid metal oxides, but that is for another post.

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