Chemical Properties of Metals | Science Experiment

Chemical Properties of Metals
Science Experiment/ Science Project
Chemical Properties of Metals
(A) Reaction of metals with oxygen:
Metals react with oxygen to form their oxides.
(i) Reaction of Magnesium (metal) with oxygen:
 Take a strip of magnesium metal ribbon ( 4 inches long) and a lighted Burner
 Hold the piece of magnesium metal ribbon in a pair of tongs.
 Take the magnesium metal ribbon in the hottest part of the flame.
 It will soon catch fire and emit a very bright light.
Magnesium burns in air with dazzling white light.
When magnesium is burnt in air, it forms magnesium oxide.
Magnesium oxide forms magnesium hydroxide with water.
Solution of Magnesium oxide turns red litmus paper blue. This means magnesium oxide is basic in nature.
(ii) Reaction of Iron metal with oxygen
When iron reacts with moist air, it forms rust. Rust is iron oxide. That is why articles made of iron, get rusted in the presence of moist air.
Rust (iron oxide) is reddish brown in colour.
Iron oxide is basic in nature. It turns red litmus blue.
(B) Reaction of Metals with water:
Most metals react with water to form metal hydroxides.
(i) Reaction of sodium metal with water:
Sodium metal is always stored in oil as reacts vigorously if exposed to moisture.
The experiment should be carried out behind a clear safety barrier or at a distance from the students as it is dangerous.
 Take a piece of sodium not larger than a pea (very small quantity) stored in the oil with the help of tongs.
 Dry the small piece of sodium metal on a filter paper.
 Take a 250 ml beaker, filled halfway with water
 Drop the piece of sodium into the water. Keep distance as reaction is vigorous.
 Sodium metal reacts very vigorously with water to form sodium hydroxide along with hydrogen with lots of heat.
(ii) Reaction of potassium with water:
Potassium metal vigorously reacts with water and forms potassium hydroxide along with lots of heat.
c) Reaction of metals with dilute acid
(i) Reaction of zinc with dilute acid:
Metals give salt and hydrogen gas when they react with dilute acid.
 Take a small beaker and fill it with 30 ml of concentrated sulphuric acid.
 You need to be cautious while handling acids.
 Take a cylinder filled with water upside down in a tub also filled with water.
 Before placing the cylinder into the water kindly ensure that no bubbles of air enter it
 Now you can take small piece of metal (Zinc) and put it carefully in the beaker and ensure that the lid is securely fastened, so that no gases can escape.
 Shake the container to make the reaction take place more quickly.
 Observe how zinc (metal) reacts with acid ( Sulphuric acid).
Zinc gives hydrogen gas along with zinc sulphate when it reacts with sulphuric acid.
Hydrogen gas is liberated in the tube fitted upside down in a tub filled with water.
(ii) Reaction of sodium metal with dilute acid:
Similarly Sodium gives hydrogen gas and sodium chloride when reacts with dilute hydrochloric acid (HCl).
(D) Reaction of metals with base:
Most of the metals do not react with bases. Few metals such as aluminium, zinc and lead react with strong base to produce compound of that metal and hydrogen gas.
Metals give hydrogen gas when they react with a base.
Reaction of aluminium metal with sodium hydroxide
Aluminium metal forms hydrogen gas and sodium aluminate when it reacts with sodium hydroxide.
Similarly; zinc gives sodium zincate and hydrogen gas when it reacts with sodium hydroxide.
Thanks for watching our video.

[@klasaaa-ed6qc]

17 may