Magnesium: barely reacts with cold water; reacts well with steam.
Iron: reacts very slowly with steam to form iron oxide and hydrogen.
Copper, silver, gold: no reaction with water.
REACTIONS WITH DILUTE ACID:
More reactive metals react faster and more vigorously with dilute acids.
Magnesium: vigorous fizzing — reacts quickly.
Zinc: steady bubbling.
Iron: slow bubbling.
Copper: no reaction — below hydrogen in reactivity series.
Gold, platinum: no reaction with dilute acid.
Metal Oxides and Displacement Reactions
A MORE REACTIVE metal will DISPLACE a LESS REACTIVE metal from its compound (salt or oxide).
DISPLACEMENT FROM SALT SOLUTIONS:
If iron is added to copper sulfate solution:
Fe + CuSO₄ → FeSO₄ + Cu
Iron is more reactive than copper → iron displaces copper.
Observation: blue solution turns pale green; copper metal deposits on the iron.
If copper is added to iron sulfate solution:
No reaction — copper is LESS reactive than iron.
DISPLACEMENT FROM METAL OXIDES:
Hydrogen can displace metals BELOW it in the series from their oxides.
Carbon can reduce (displace) metals below it in the series.
Copper oxide + hydrogen:
CuO + H₂ → Cu + H₂O (copper extracted from its oxide)
METAL OXIDES:
Metal oxides are BASIC — they neutralise acids.
The more reactive the metal, the more stable its oxide — harder to decompose or reduce.
⚠️ Common Mistake
A metal can only displace another metal that is BELOW it in the reactivity series. Copper cannot displace iron from iron sulfate — copper is less reactive than iron. The more reactive metal always displaces the less reactive one, not the other way around.
📐 Key Equations
Fe + CuSO₄ → FeSO₄ + Cu (displacement)
Metal + oxygen → metal oxide
Metal + water → metal hydroxide + hydrogen
Metal + acid → salt + hydrogen
📌 Key Note
Reactivity series: K, Na, Li, Ca, Mg, Al, (C), Zn, Fe, Sn, Pb, (H), Cu, Ag, Au, Pt. More reactive metal displaces less reactive from solution or oxide. Evidence from reactions with water, acid and displacement reactions.
🎯 Matching Activity — Displacement — Reaction or No Reaction?
Predict whether each displacement reaction occurs. — drag the symbols on the right to match the component names on the left.
Reaction occurs
Drop here
No reaction
Drop here
Reaction occurs
Drop here
No reaction
Drop here
Reaction occurs
Drop here
Iron + magnesium sulfate — iron is LESS reactive than magnesium
Copper + zinc sulfate — copper is LESS reactive than zinc
Zinc + copper sulfate → zinc sulfate + copper (Zn more reactive than Cu)
Magnesium + iron sulfate → magnesium sulfate + iron (Mg more reactive than Fe)
Iron + copper sulfate → iron sulfate + copper (Fe more reactive than Cu)
🎯 Test Yourself
Question 1 of 2
1. A strip of zinc is placed in copper sulfate solution. What is observed?
2. Why does copper not react with dilute hydrochloric acid?
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