- Experiment to prove iron is more reactive than copper:
Iron nail and copper coin are taken for the experiment to compare their reactivity.
- Setup of the experiment:
1. Place an iron nail in a beaker containing dilute hydrochloric acid.
2. Place a copper coin in another beaker containing the same concentration of hydrochloric acid.
3. Observe the reactions in both beakers.
- Observation and explanation:
1. The iron nail reacts vigorously with the hydrochloric acid, producing bubbles of hydrogen gas and forming iron chloride.
2. The copper coin shows little to no reaction with the hydrochloric acid.
3. The iron nail displaces the copper coin from the solution, indicating that iron is more reactive than copper.
- Explanation of results:
1. Iron is more reactive than copper because it can displace copper from a solution of its salt.
2. The reactivity of a metal is related to its position in the reactivity series, with metals higher in the series displacing those lower in the series from their compounds.
- Conclusion:
Based on the experiment, it can be concluded that iron is a more reactive metal than copper. This reactivity can be attributed to the position of iron higher than copper in the reactivity series.