Reaction of metals with oxygen

Look at how magnesium reacts with oxygen:

The use of a gas jar full of oxygen can be used to combust other metals. This
method can be used to compare different metals and their reactivity with oxygen by
observing the reaction.
Metals that react with oxygen produce oxides as their products.

Order of
Metal: Observation: Product:
reactivity:

Burns quickly with a bright yellow 1st - most Na2O, sodium peroxide
Sodium
flame. reactive. - a yellow powder.

Magnesi MgO, magnesium oxide

Burns with a brilliant white flame. 2nd.
um - a white ash.

Does not burn. Hot metal glows in Fe203, iron oxide - an

Iron 3rd.
oxygen and gives off yellow sparks. orange powder.

Does not burn. Metal eventually 4th - least CuO, copper oxide - a
Copper
coats with a black layer. reactive. black powder.
Of course, other metals react with oxygen, some more than sodium, for example,
potassium. Others, such as gold, do not react at all.
Reaction of metals with water
Some metals also react with water, but like their reaction with oxygen, they react in
different ways. We can observe the reaction of metals and water by placing the
metals in a trough of cold water.
Alternatively, we can observe the difference in reaction of metals using steam (hot
water) instead of cold water.
The table below illustrates the observations taken when different metals
are placed in water:

Order of
Metal: Reaction: Products:
reactivity:

Potassiu Violent reaction with cold water. 1st - most Potassium hydroxide,
m Floats and catches fire. reactive. KOH and hydrogen gas.

Very vigorous reaction with cold Sodium hydroxide,

Sodium water. Floats. Can be lit with a 2nd. NaOH and hydrogen
lighted splint. gas.

Calcium hydroxide,
rd
Calcium Less vigorous with cold water. 3 . Ca(OH)2 and hydrogen
gas.

Magnesi Very slow with cold water, but Magnesium oxide, MgO
4th.
um vigorous with steam. and hydrogen gas.

Zinc oxide, ZnO and

Zinc Quite slow with steam. 5th.
hydrogen gas.

Iron oxide, Fe203 and

Iron Slow with steam. 6th.
hydrogen gas.

7th - least
Copper No reaction with steam.
reactive.
Note: The first three in the table above produce hydroxides and the rest, if they
react, produce oxides.
The production of the hydroxide (alkali) can be tested by adding universal indicator
(UI) to the reaction vessel - UI changes from green to purple in the presence
of these hydroxides.
To test for the release of hydrogen gas, place a lighted splint over the
reacting metal - if it 'pops' then hydrogen is present.
In the case of potassium, this reaction produces enough heat to set alight the
hydrogen gas itself.
Reaction of metals with acid
Let's now look at the reaction between metals and acids to see if they can also help
distinguish difference in reactivity.

Reaction with hydrochloric Order of

Metal: Products:
acid: reactivity:

Magnesi Vigorously reacts with a stream 1st - most Magnesium chloride,

um of gas evolving. reactive. MgCl2and hydrogen gas.
 Quite slow reaction with a steady nd Zinc chloride, ZnCl2 and
Zinc 2 .
stream of gas evolving. hydrogen gas.

Slow reaction with a gentle Iron chloride, FeCl2 and

Iron 3rd.
stream of gas evolving. hydrogen gas.

Very slow and acid must be Lead chloride, PbCl2 and

Lead 4th.
concentrated. hydrogen gas.

5th - least
Copper No reaction.
reactive.
If we compare the results of the reaction of metals with acid with those of
the reactions with oxygen and water, we note that the same order of
reactivity is repeated.
How to separate a solid from a liquid
Four methods are commonly used to separate a solid from a liquid:
1. Filtering
2. Evaporating
3. Crystallizing
4. Centrifuging
Filtering

If your solid does not dissolve in water, for example chalk, then you can separate
the solid from the liquid by filtering the suspension through filter paper.
In this example the chalk that remains on the filter paper is called the residue. The
water (the substance) that passes through the filter paper is called the filtrate.
Evaporating

If your mixture is a solution, such as salty water, then filtering will not separate the
salt from the water.
Instead, by heating the soluton the solvent (water) evaporates leaving the solid
(salt) behind. This is possible since the two substances have different
boiling points.
Centrifuging

A centrifuge is used to separate small amounts of solid held in suspension from

the liquid. For example, chalk from water.
The centrifuge contains test-tubes that are spun around at high speed that causes
the solid to sink to the bottom of the tube. The liquid is the decanted (poured off)
leaving the solid behind.
Crystallising
You can separate many solids contained in saturated solutions by leaving them to
form crystals. This process is called crystallisation.
If the solution is saturated, then when the solvent evaporates, what's left behind
can't hang on to as much of the solute. So the solute leaves the solution and forms
crystals.
How to separate a mixture of two solids
By dissolving one of the two solids
If you have a mixture of salt and sand, then by placing the mixture in water you will
find that the salt dissolves but the sand remains.
If this new mixture is then filtered, the salt in the salty water solution passes
through the filter paper to form the filtrate and the sand remains as the residue.
All that is now left to do is to heat the salty water, allowing the water to evaporate
leaving behind the salt.
How to separate the solvent from solution
Simple distillation
For example: to obtain pure water from saltwater, this apparatus would be used.

The solution is heated in the round-bottomed flask. As it boils, steam rises into the
condenser (this cools the steam back to water). Eventually the salt (solute) is left
behind. The water collected in the beaker is called distilled water.
How to separate two liquids
Fractional distillation
If two liquids are miscible (i.e. they mix together well), they can be separated using
this apparatus.
For example: to separate a mixture of ethanol and water.
Since, ethanol boils at 78oC and water at 100oC, then by gradually heating the
mixture, ethanol and water vapour rises up the column making the glass beads hot
as they condense on them.
Once the beads are 78oC, the ethanol vapour is forced into the condenser, whilst the
water vapour continues to condense and drip back into the flask. Mean while the
ethanol, now in the condenser, condenses and drips into the beaker as liquid
ethanol.
Separating funnel
If two liquids are immiscible, then a separating funnel is used.

For example: If you pour a mixture of oil and water into the funnel, the oil floats on
top of the water. All that is left to do is for the tap to be opened to allow the water to
pour through. The tap is closed once all the water has passed.
How to separate a mixture of coloured substances
Paper chromatography
For example: separating the coloured substances in black ink - the apparatus
below could be used.

1. A small drop of black ink is placed into the centre of the filter paper.
2. Water is then dropped onto the ink.
3. The ink slowly spreads out, separating into rings of different colours.
4. The filter paper with its coloured rings is called a chromatogram.
5. The coloured substance furthest from the original black ink spot is the most
soluble.
Flame tests
Metals change the colour of a flame when they are heated in it. Different metals give different
colours to the flame, so flame tests can be used to identify the presence of a particular metal in
a sample. This is how you would carry out a typical flame test:
1. dip a clean flame test loop in the sample solution
2. hold the flame test loop at the edge of a bunsen burner flame
3. observe the changed colour of the flame, and decide which metal it indicates
4. clean the loop in acid and rinse with water, then repeat steps 1 to 3 with a new
sample

Different colours
Some common metals and their flame test colours
metal flame test colour

barium pale green

calcium yellow-red

copper green-blue

lithium red

sodium orange

potassium lilac

Example
Flame tests are useful for confirming the results of a precipitate test. For example, an unknown
solution that produced a pale blue precipitate with sodium hydroxide solution, and a green-blue
flame test, must contain a copper compound.
To identify an alkali metal, a flame test must be used instead of a sodium hydroxide precipitate
test. This is because the alkali metals do not form precipitates with sodium hydroxide

Transition metal precipitates

Transition metals form coloured compounds with other elements. Many of these are soluble in
water, forming coloured solutions. If sodium hydroxide solution is then added, a transition metal
hydroxide is formed. These are insoluble. They do not dissolve but instead form solid
precipitates. Here are the equations for copper sulphate solution reacting with sodium hydroxide
solution:
copper sulphate + sodium hydroxide copper hydroxide + sodium sulphate
CuSO4 + 2NaOH Cu(OH)2 + Na2SO4
(blue solution + colourless solution blue precipitate + colourless solution)
Copper solutions form a blue precipitate with sodium hydroxide

Different transition metals form different coloured precipitates.

Some common transition metals and the colours of their

precipitates.
transition metal colour of precipitate

iron(II) green - turns orange-brown when left standing

iron(III) orange-brown

copper pale blue

zinc white

Example
How could you tell if an unknown substance contained iron(II) nitrate or iron(III) nitrate? You
would add a few drops of sodium hydroxide solution. If you got a dark green precipitate it would
show that the unknown substance was iron(II) nitrate; if you got an orange-brown precipitate it
would show that the unknown substance was iron(III) nitrate.
Note that it is the metal that determines the colour. So you would get the same result whether
you used zinc chloride or zinc nitrate - a white precipitate in this example.