- Reason:
Copper is unable to liberate hydrogen gas from an acid solution due to its lower reactivity compared to metals like zinc or magnesium. Copper is not a highly reactive metal, so it does not readily displace hydrogen from acids.
- Reaction:
The reaction between copper and hydrochloric acid (HCl) can be represented as:
Cu(s) + 2HCl(aq) → CuCl2(aq) + H2(g)
In this reaction, copper displaces hydrogen from hydrochloric acid to form copper chloride and hydrogen gas. However, due to the lower reactivity of copper, this reaction does not occur readily.
- Explanation:
Copper is below hydrogen in the reactivity series, which means it is not easily oxidized to liberate hydrogen gas from acids. In contrast, metals like zinc and magnesium are more reactive and can displace hydrogen from acids to form metal salts and hydrogen gas.
When copper is placed in an acid solution, it forms copper ions (Cu2+) by losing electrons, but it does not displace hydrogen from the acid. As a result, no hydrogen gas is produced in the reaction involving copper and an acid solution.
- Summary:
In summary, copper is unable to liberate hydrogen gas from an acid solution due to its lower reactivity compared to other metals like zinc or magnesium. The reaction between copper and acid does not result in the displacement of hydrogen, preventing the formation of hydrogen gas.