Question

Samples of three metals iron, zinc and copper were taken and added to the following

solution one by one. The results obtained have been tabulated as follows:

METAL Iron sulphate Copper sulphate Zinc Sulphate

Iron --------------- Displacement No Reaction

Zinc Displacement Displacement -----------

Copper No Reaction No Reaction No Reaction

Based on the observations recorded in the table, answer the following?

i) Which is the most reactive metal?

a) Iron

b) Zinc

c) Copper

ii) Identify the metal which displaces copper from its salt solution?

a) Iron

b) Zinc

c) Both

iii) Which of the following represent correct order of increasing order of reactivity?

a) copper < iron< zinc

b) copper <zinc< iron

c) zinc<iron<copper

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Answer 1

1. Caesium, the most reactive metal in the periodic table, reacts extremely violently – hence why it can't be demonstrated in a classroom! This can be compared to other common metals, such as iron and copper, which produce no reaction when dropped into water.
2. Iron displaces copper ions from an aqueous solution of copper sulphate. It is a single displacement reaction of one metal by another metal. Iron is placed above copper in the activity series.