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  1. Science
  2. Year 7
  3. Chemical Reactions
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Reactions between Metals and Acids

In this worksheet, students will be tested on their ability to understand the reactions between Metals and Acids.

'Reactions between Metals and Acids' worksheet

Key stage:  KS 3

Curriculum topic:   Chemistry: Chemical Reactions

Curriculum subtopic:   Reactions of Acids with Metals

Difficulty level:  

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Worksheet Overview

QUESTION 1 of 10

This worksheet tests a student's ability to understand the reactions between Metals and Acids.

 

First off, when an acid reacts with a metal, the acid will react with the metal to produce the metal salt of that acid; at the same time it will produce hydrogen gas.

 

What does that look like?  The general path of these metal/acid reactions is:

 

Acid + Metal  Salt + Hydrogen

 

(NB: note that the word 'salt' here refers to a metal salt, i.e. a compound of the metal which has been formed through reaction with an acid, e.g. zinc chloride, potassium nitrate and iron sulfate are all metal salts).

 

 

Example:

Here are two examples of reactions of different metals with dilute acids:

 

Zinc + Sulfuric Acid  →  Zinc Sulfate + Hydrogen

Magnesium + Hydrochloric Acid  →  Magnesium Chloride + Hydrogen
 
 
On the surface these might not seem too clear: where did the 'sulfate' or 'chloride' come from?  It might help to use compound names for these acids - after all, they are all compounds of HYDROGEN in solution.  Try this:
 
HYDROCHLORIC ACID  =  HYDROGEN CHLORIDE
SULFURIC ACID  =  HYDROGEN SULFATE
NITRIC ACID  = HYDROGEN NITRATE
 
Now look back at those two word equations above - can you see where the zinc sulfate and the magnesium chloride have come from?   Let's check out one more:
 
Copper + Nitric Acid  →  Copper Nitrate + Hydrogen  could re-written as:
 
Copper + Hydrogen nitrate  →  Copper nitrate + Hydrogen
 
Now can you see what's going on?  In all of the above reactions, the metal has TAKEN THE PLACE OF the hydrogen in the acid and formed a metal salt.  It's a type of DISPLACEMENT reaction.
 
You might like to read through all this again, think about it, then test out some of the following questions.
 
 

In most of the following questions you will be presented with a word equation for a metal + acid reaction.

 

In each case, complete the word equation for the reaction by filling in the missing chemical reactant or product.

 

Tin + ____________ → Tin Sulfate + Hydrogen

Complete the word equation for the reaction by filling in the missing chemical reactant.

 

Lead + ____________ → Lead Sulfate + Hydrogen

Complete the word equation for the reaction by filling in the missing chemical reactant.

 

___________ + Hydrochloric acid  →  Magnesium Chloride  + Hydrogen

complete the word equation for the reaction by filling in the missing chemical reactant.

 

___________ + Hydrochloric acid  →  Iron Chloride  + Hydrogen

Complete the word equation for the reaction by filling in the missing chemical product.

 

Magnesium + Hydrochloric acid  →  Magnesium _________  + Hydrogen

Complete the word equation for the reaction by filling in the missing chemical reactant.

 

___________ + Hydrochloric acid  →  Calcium Chloride  + Hydrogen

Complete the word equation for the reaction by filling in the missing chemical product.

 

Calcium + Nitric acid  →  Calcium Nitrate  +  ________

Complete the word equation for the reaction by filling in the missing chemical reactant.

 

___________ + Hydrochloric acid  →  Zinc Chloride  + Hydrogen

Right, just to check whether you've completely nailed this, we're going to introduce a metal that doesn't exist, pop it into the equation and see what you come out with.  Same pattern, OK?

 

Complete the word equation for the reaction by filling in the missing chemical product (assume that edplacium reacts in a similar way to magnesium):

 

Edplacium + Hydrochloric acid  →  ________  Chloride  +  Hydrogen

Complete the passage by using the correct words in each case.

 

Some metals react with acids to produce bubbles of ____A____ and a _____B______ which usually _____C______ in the acid. The ______D_____ can be tested by collecting it in a test tube and lighting it. If it is hydrogen, it will ignite with a ______E_____ _____F_______.

 ABCDEF
SQUEAKY
POP
HYDROGEN
GAS
DISSOLVES
SALT
  • ANSWERS
  • Question 1

In most of the following questions you will be presented with a word equation for a metal + acid reaction.

 

In each case, complete the word equation for the reaction by filling in the missing chemical reactant or product.

 

Tin + ____________ → Tin Sulfate + Hydrogen

CORRECT ANSWER
sulfuric acid
EDDIE SAYS
So, if tin reacts with an acid to form tin sulfate, what must the acid be? Sulfuric acid is, chemically-speaking, Hydrogen Sulfate, so that's the one that fits the reactants which will produce tin sulfate + hydrogen.
  • ANSWERS
  • Question 2

Complete the word equation for the reaction by filling in the missing chemical reactant.

 

Lead + ____________ → Lead Sulfate + Hydrogen

CORRECT ANSWER
sulfuric acid
EDDIE SAYS
Once again the acid is sulfuric acid as a sulfate is formed. Think of it as lead + hydrogen sulfate forming lead sulfate and leaving hydrogen as the remaining product - a gas which is released.
  • ANSWERS
  • Question 3

Complete the word equation for the reaction by filling in the missing chemical reactant.

 

___________ + Hydrochloric acid  →  Magnesium Chloride  + Hydrogen

CORRECT ANSWER
Magnesium
EDDIE SAYS
So, what's the metal salt formed? Magnesium chloride. So what must the metal be that's reacting with the hydrochloric acid? Magnesium. Make sense?
  • ANSWERS
  • Question 4

complete the word equation for the reaction by filling in the missing chemical reactant.

 

___________ + Hydrochloric acid  →  Iron Chloride  + Hydrogen

CORRECT ANSWER
iron
EDDIE SAYS
Same as question 3: an unknown metal reacts with hydrochloric acid and the metal salt formed, this time, is iron chloride. Thus the metal reactant must be iron.
  • ANSWERS
  • Question 5

Complete the word equation for the reaction by filling in the missing chemical product.

 

Magnesium + Hydrochloric acid  →  Magnesium _________  + Hydrogen

CORRECT ANSWER
Chloride
EDDIE SAYS
Remembering that hydrochloric acid is, chemically-speaking, Hydrogen Chloride (solution) then you can work out that when magnesium reacts with this, the metal salt formed must be magnesium CHLORIDE. Hopefully, this is beginning to make sense. If so, these will seem very straightforward.
  • ANSWERS
  • Question 6

Complete the word equation for the reaction by filling in the missing chemical reactant.

 

___________ + Hydrochloric acid  →  Calcium Chloride  + Hydrogen

CORRECT ANSWER
Calcium
EDDIE SAYS
This time, calcium chloride is the salt formed in the reaction; thus CALCIUM must be the metal reactant that reacts with the hydrochloric acid.
  • ANSWERS
  • Question 7

Complete the word equation for the reaction by filling in the missing chemical product.

 

Calcium + Nitric acid  →  Calcium Nitrate  +  ________

CORRECT ANSWER
hydrogen
EDDIE SAYS
All these reactions follow the same pattern, don't they? Metal + Acid forms Salt + Hydrogen. So the products of the reaction are ALWAYS a metal salt and what? HYDROGEN!
  • ANSWERS
  • Question 8

Complete the word equation for the reaction by filling in the missing chemical reactant.

 

___________ + Hydrochloric acid  →  Zinc Chloride  + Hydrogen

CORRECT ANSWER
zinc
EDDIE SAYS
Are you happy with this? It must be zinc reacting with the acid to form zinc chloride.
  • ANSWERS
  • Question 9

Right, just to check whether you've completely nailed this, we're going to introduce a metal that doesn't exist, pop it into the equation and see what you come out with.  Same pattern, OK?

 

Complete the word equation for the reaction by filling in the missing chemical product (assume that edplacium reacts in a similar way to magnesium):

 

Edplacium + Hydrochloric acid  →  ________  Chloride  +  Hydrogen

CORRECT ANSWER
edplacium
EDDIE SAYS
Haha, did that get you? The name's irrelevant as long as you're given the correct information and you follow the same pattern. If the made-up metal EDPLACIUM reacts similarly to magnesium, then it will react with hydrochloric acid (hydrogen chloride solution) to form edplacium chloride and hydrogen. Voila!
  • ANSWERS
  • Question 10

Complete the passage by using the correct words in each case.

 

Some metals react with acids to produce bubbles of ____A____ and a _____B______ which usually _____C______ in the acid. The ______D_____ can be tested by collecting it in a test tube and lighting it. If it is hydrogen, it will ignite with a ______E_____ _____F_______.

CORRECT ANSWER
 ABCDEF
SQUEAKY
POP
HYDROGEN
GAS
DISSOLVES
SALT
EDDIE SAYS
So, I guess you'll have found some parts of that easier than others. It's simply a case of a) understanding the path of the reaction and b) filling in the obvious ones first to see what's left. Here we go: Some metals react with acids to produce bubbles of __HYDROGEN__ and a __SALT__ which usually __DISSOLVES__ in the acid. The __GAS__ can be tested by collecting it in a test tube and lighting it. If it is hydrogen, it will ignite with a __SQUEAKY___ _____POP__. Well done! Hopefully you're a little more solid on the metal/acid reactions now.
---- OR ----

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