Metal reactivity series – dropping metal into solution
Integrated ScienceChemical ReactionsAges 14–15Virtual lab
Use it with your class: students open it from a link or a QR code, with no account needed.
Next in Chemical Reactions
Choose a metal from the reactivity (activity) series — K, Na, Ca, Mg, Al, Zn, Fe, Pb, H, Cu, Ag, Au — and a solution: dilute HCl or H₂SO₄, the salts CuSO₄, AgNO₃, FeSO₄, ZnSO₄, or plain water. Drop the metal into the test tube and watch for H₂ bubbles, a fresh metal layer plating the strip, a color change in the solution, or no reaction at all — exactly as predicted by each metal's position in the series. A balanced chemical equation and explanation update continuously as you experiment.
Lesson: Reactivity series of metals; General properties of metals
What it shows
The reactivity series ranks metals by how readily they form positive ions: K, Na, Ca, Mg, Al, Zn, Fe, Pb, (H), Cu, Ag, Au. A metal above hydrogen displaces hydrogen from dilute acids, and a metal displaces any less reactive metal from a solution of its salt, as in Fe + CuSO₄ → FeSO₄ + Cu. Metals below hydrogen do not react with dilute HCl or H₂SO₄. K, Na and Ca react with water at room temperature, so in salt solutions they react with the water first and a hydroxide precipitate forms instead of a displaced metal.
How to use
Ask students to predict the result before each test. Tap a metal in the series strip and a solution tile, press Drop metal, then compare the observations and the balanced equation with the prediction. Work through pairs such as Zn in HCl, Cu in HCl, Cu in AgNO₃ and Fe in CuSO₄, then try Na in CuSO₄. Raise the Solution concentration to see bubbling speed up, and press Reset to repeat a test.
Parameters you can change
- Metal Potassium (K), Sodium (Na), Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg), Aluminium (Al), Zinc (Zn), Iron (Fe), Lead (Pb), Copper (Cu), Silver (Ag), Gold (Au)
- Solution Hydrochloric acid HCl, Dilute sulfuric acid H₂SO₄, Copper(II) sulfate CuSO₄, Silver nitrate AgNO₃, Iron(II) sulfate FeSO₄, Zinc sulfate ZnSO₄, Water (H₂O)
- Solution concentration 0.1–2 mol/L
- Show reactivity series
Questions to explore
- Why does copper not react with dilute HCl but does displace silver from AgNO₃ solution?
- What do you observe when zinc is placed in FeSO₄ solution, and when iron is placed in ZnSO₄ solution?
- Why does sodium in CuSO₄ solution form a precipitate instead of a coating of copper?
Common questions
How can you predict a metal displacement reaction?
A metal displaces another metal from a salt solution only if it is higher in the reactivity series. Zinc is above copper, so Zn + CuSO₄ → ZnSO₄ + Cu takes place and copper coats the zinc, while copper in ZnSO₄ solution shows no reaction. K, Na and Ca are exceptions, because they react with the water first.
Which metals react with dilute acids?
Metals above hydrogen in the reactivity series react with dilute HCl or H₂SO₄, giving a salt and hydrogen gas, as in Mg + 2HCl → MgCl₂ + H₂. Copper, silver and gold lie below hydrogen and do not react. The further a metal sits above hydrogen, the more vigorous the reaction, and more concentrated acid also speeds the bubbling.
Why does blue copper sulfate solution change color when iron is added?
Blue copper sulfate solution changes color because iron displaces copper, so blue Cu²⁺ ions are replaced by pale green Fe²⁺ ions. Iron atoms lose electrons and copper ions gain them: Fe + Cu²⁺ → Fe²⁺ + Cu. Red copper deposits on the iron at the same time, and the blue color fades as the copper ions are used up.
