In this task, you will rank several elements according to their reactivities. You’ll base your rankings on whether a chemical reaction occurs between certain elements. Before you begin, read this information about lab safety. Estimated time to complete: 2 hours

If you’ve purchased an Edmentum lab kit, remove the items that appear in the following equipment list. The chemicals are located inside a box within the kit. You’ll also need a pen to label the test tubes.

You’ll need these materials:

test tube rack
test tubes (quantity: 6)
test tube labels
graduated cylinder
wash bottle with distilled water (Tap water is acceptable, but it can skew the experimental results.)
pipettes (quantity: 2)
forceps
50-milliliter Erlenmeyer flask
scoop
test tube brush
apron
goggles
gloves
pen or fine-tip marker
small piece of sandpaper
chemicals from Edmentum Lab kit:
copper metal strip (quantity: 1)
iron nails (quantity: 2)
zinc metal strips (quantity: 3)
copper(II) sulfate solution (10 milliliters)
iron(III) nitrate solution (10 milliliters), also called ferric nitrate
magnesium sulfate solution (10 milliliters)
hydrochloric acid (30 milliliters)
sodium bicarbonate (7.5 grams)
For more information about each chemical, view the safety data sheets. Click the Product Resources tab followed by Datasheet.

Always work safely:

Do not work directly on a granite or marble countertop. These surfaces may be damaged by hydrochloric acid.
Keep lids on the chemical bottles at all times, except when you are actively dispensing from a bottle.
Wear an apron, goggles, and gloves anytime you are working with chemicals, including during disposal.
Do not mix chemicals together except as instructed in the laboratory procedure.
If a chemical splashes into your eyes, immediately remove any contact lenses and flush your eyes with running water for at least 15 minutes. Seek medical attention.
If hydrochloric acid makes contact with your skin or clothing, immediately remove contaminated clothing. Wash skin thoroughly with water. Wash clothes before reuse.
If hydrochloric acid spills on a work surface, neutralize it with sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and then wipe it up with a paper towel. If other solutions spill, they may be cleaned up with a paper towel.
Follow these steps to begin the task:

Place six test tubes in the test tube rack. Using the test tube labels, label the tops of the test tubes with the numbers 1 through 6.

Measure 10 milliliters of each of the following solutions into the corresponding test tube. Use the graduated cylinder for measuring volumes. You may use pipettes for transferring solutions from bottles that don’t have dropper tips. Do not use a pipette for multiple chemical solutions. Rinse the graduated cylinder with distilled water from the wash bottle between chemicals. Wash rinse water down the sink drain with plenty of water. If you need a refresher on using graduated cylinders, watch the video on measuring volume.
Test tube 1: copper(II) sulfate
Test tube 2: hydrochloric acid
Test tube 3: iron(III) nitrate
Test tube 4: magnesium sulfate
Test tube 5: hydrochloric acid
Test tube 6: hydrochloric acid

Using a piece of sandpaper, sand the copper, iron, and zinc metal strips to remove any corrosion. The metal strips should look a little shinier after sanding. It works best to fold the sandpaper in half around the metal strip.

Put a strip of metal in each test tube, as specified:
Test tube 1: iron
Test tube 2: copper
Test tube 3: zinc
Test tube 4: zinc
Test tube 5: zinc
Test tube 6: iron

Proceed immediately to part A to record your observations.

part a.\
Observe the substances in the test tubes for 15 minutes. In the table, describe what’s happening in each test tube, including any evidence of a chemical reaction.

Remember that evidence of chemical reactions can include change in color, change in smell, change in temperature, formation of a solid, or formation of bubbles. If there’s no observable change in a test tube, write “no reaction.”

part b

Refer to the observations of the test tubes from part A. Determine which metal (or hydrogen) in each test tube is more reactive. Remember that the less reactive metal (or hydrogen) will typically end up in pure form as an element, so no reaction will occur if the less reactive metal (or hydrogen) is the one that begins in pure form.

part c

Based on your answer in part B, arrange the five elements in order of their reactivity. Drag the most reactive element to the top and the least reactive element to the bottom.

Tiles
magnesium
iron
copper
zinc
hydrogen

part d

Based on the activity series you created in part C, predict whether there would be a chemical reaction or no reaction when the listed pairs of substances are combined.