Activity Series of Metals Lab

Some metals are more reactive than others. To develop the Activity Series of
Metals, compare the way in which copper, magnesium, zinc, lead, and tin react
with five different solutions.

Materials
1. Well plate
2. pipettes
3. 5 pieces of each metal (copper, magnesium, zinc, and aluminum)
4. steel wool
5. Aqueous solutions
a. Copper (II) Nitrate, 0.1M
b. Magnesium Nitrate4, 0.1M
c. Aluminum Nitrate, 0.1M
d. Silver Nitrate, 0.1M
e. Zinc (II) Nitrate, 0.1M

Procedure
1. Obtain one pipette of each solution, use a well plate to hold the solutions

2. Arrange the solutions so that they match the order of the chemicals in
your data table. You will have four groups.

Metal Tested Group

Copper One
Magnesium Two
Zinc Three
Aluminum Four

3. Clean each strip of metal with steel wool.

4. Fill the well with the proper chemical about ¾ full. Do not fill the well
plate to the top.

5. Place a clean piece of metal in the well plate with the correct metal group.

6. Construct a data table and record observations at 2 minutes, 5 minutes,

and 10 minutes. Keep careful observations of both metal strips and the
solutions. Record any changes in the appearance of the metal and the
solution

7. Rinse the metal with water and clean the metal with steel wool.

8. All metal solution pipettes will be collected in appropriate containers at

the designated area.

9. Clean, dry, and return all equipment.

Data and Observations
Data Table
2. 3.
1. Copper 4. Silver 5. Zinc (II)
Metal Strip Magnesium Aluminum
(II) Nitrate Nitrate Nitrate
Nitrate Nitrate

a. Copper

b.
Magnesium

c. Zinc

d. Aluminum

Questions

1. Write a balanced chemical equation for each of the reactions that could
occur.

1a.

2a.

3a.

4a.

5a.

1b.

2b.
 3b.

4b.

5b.

1c.

2c.

3c.

4c.

5c.

1d.

2d.

3d.

4d.

5d.

Circle the number of the equations where a reaction did not occur.

2. Draw a chart that shows the reactivity of each solution and identify the
metal ion in the solution being tested.

3. Based on your observations, predict the activity series of the metals

starting with the most reactive and ending with the least reactive.
Conclusion: On the back of this paper, write a conclusion paragraph.