Big Manny’s Metal and Acid experiment

Metal and Acid experiment

Big Manny’s Metal and Acid Experiment brings chemistry to life with an exciting, hands-on demonstration of how metals react with acids. In this engaging experiment, Big Manny uses magnesium, zinc, and calcium to show how different metals produce hydrogen gas when they come into contact with acid –  a classic example of a metal-acid reaction.

By comparing the reactivity of these metals, you observe the differences in reaction speed and intensity, helping build understanding of key concepts in the reactivity series. With clear visuals, energetic delivery, and real-time results, Big Manny makes science accessible and memorable for all learners.

Big Manny’s Metal & Acid experiment with hydrochloric acid

Here I have some hydrochloric acid and some different metals and we’re going to react them together and see what takes place.

Now whenever you add a metal to an acid, the products are always a metal salt plus hydrogen gas. So we’re going to start with some magnesium metal and we’re going to put it into the hydrochloric acid.

Acid plus Magnesium metal example

When I add the magnesium to the hydrochloric acid, we see a lot of effervescence and a lot of bubbles being produced. The reason why is because hydrogen gas is being released. Now the magnesium is reacting with the chlorine and hydrochloric acid to produce magnesium chloride, so that’s the salt that was produced.

If I feel the boiling tube it’s starting to get warm, this tells us that heat energy is being transferred to the surroundings.

Acid plus Zinc metal example

The next metal that we’re going to test is some zinc metal. So we’re going to put this zinc metal into the hydrochloric acid and see what reaction occurs. Now as soon as I put this zinc metal into the hydrochloric acid, we can see a lot of gas bubbles being produced, now that’s hydrogen gas.

The scientific term for bubbling and fizzing is effervescence. Now what’s happening right now is the zinc is reacting with the chlorine and hydrochloric acid, to form zinc chloride so that’s the salt, and we can also see the hydrogen release as well.

Acid plus Calcium metal example

Next is calcium metal, let’s put it into the hydrochloric acid and see what reaction occurs. We can see that there’s a lot of fizzing and a lot of bubbles being produced, again that’s hydrogen gas being released. If I touch this boiling tube it is very warm. That’s because heat energy is being transferred into the surroundings. Now in this case the salt made is calcium chloride.

In Big Manny’s Metal and Acid experiment, which is the most reactive metal?

Lastly I have some sodium metal, this is the most reactive of all the metals that we’ve tested, and let’s put it into the hydrochloric acid and see what reaction takes place. Now we can see a lot of fizzing and bubbles being produced. Again that’s hydrogen gas being released. The salt produced when you put sodium into hydrochloric acid is sodium chloride, also known as table salt.

Found this reactivity series You Tube article useful? Watch more from Big Manny on the Oxford Revise YouTube Channel.

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