Reactivity Series
Reactivity series is a series of metals in order of their reactivity from highest to lowest. It is used to determine the products of single displacement reactions, where metal A will replace another metal B in solution if A is higher in the series.
A metal can displace the metal listed below it in the reactivity series, but not above it. For example, zinc is more active than copper and is able to displace copper ions from the solution. The following reaction will take place:
Zn(s) + Cu2+ → Zn2+ (aq) + Cu(s)
However, silver cannot displace the copper ions from the solution as it is less reactive than the copper.
Learn, Reactivity Series
Displacement Reaction Diagram
The diagram of the displacement reaction is given below:
Let us consider a simple experiment to understand the above reaction in a more efficient way:
Materials Required
Following are the materials required for the experiment:
- test tube
- iron nail
- copper sulphate solution
Theory
According to the reactivity series, more reactive metals displace less reactive metals. When iron is compared with copper, it is placed above copper in the reactivity series. Therefore, iron being more reactive tends to replace the less reactive metal(copper).
Procedure
Follow the given steps to conduct the experiment:
- Wash and dry the test tube.
- Add 30 mL of blue copper sulphate solution inside the test tube
- Take an iron nail and dip it in CuSO4 in the test tube for about 15 minutes.
- Observe the intensity of the blue color of CuSO4 before and after the experiment conducted in a test tube. The following reaction will take place:
Fe(s) + CuSO4(aq) → FeSO4(aq) + Cu(s)
Observation
When an iron nail is placed in CuSO4 solution, iron displaces copper from the copper sulphate solution to form a ferrous sulphate solution. A brownish-red layer of copper metal gets deposited on iron nails.
|
Experiment |
Before |
After |
|---|---|---|
|
Colour of CuSO4 |
Blue |
Green |
|
Colour of iron nail |
Silvery grey |
Brownish red coating |
Displacement Reaction
Displacement Reaction, also known as single replacement reaction, is a chemical reaction in which one element displaces another element in a compound. In this reaction, the less reactive element is replaced by a more reactive element or metal which results in the formation of a new substance.
In this article, we will discuss displacement reactions, single displacement reactions, and double displacement reactions along with their examples.
Table of Content
- What is a Displacement Reaction?
- Examples of Displacement Reaction
- Reactivity Series
- Types of Displacement Reaction
- Single Displacement Reaction
- Double Displacement Reaction