Chemistry 320 Winter 21-22 Mrs.

Mischke
Lab Investigating Oxidation/Reduction (Redox) Reactions
Part IV: Single-Replacement Reactions (Displacement reactions)

In oxidation-reduction reactions, commonly called redox reactions, electrons are transferred

from one substance to another.

• When an atom gains electrons, it is said to be REDUCED and the process is referred to as
reduction.
• When an atom loses electrons, it is said to be OXIDIZED and the process is referred to as
oxidation.

A: Single-replacement redox reactions.

In a single replacement reaction, one element typically reacts with a compound to form another
compound and a new element.

i.e. A (s) + BC (aq) ! B (s) + AC

Displacement reactions can occur between a metal and a metal ion based on the reactivity of the
metals. It is a battle royale for electrons!!! Another type of single-replacement reactions are a
halogen molecule (elemental form) replacing a halide ion (ion form) to produce the halide ion in
its halogen molecular form and the halogen molecule, originally, becomes charged.

M(s) + NxNO3(aq) ! MyNO3(aq) + N(s) or (metal replacement)

X2 + MY (aq) ! MX(aq) + Y2 (halogen replacement)

Procedure I:

In a well plate you will make all possible combinations of the metals lead, zinc, and copper with
the aqueous solutions of Pb(NO3)2, Zn(NO3)2, and Cu(NO3)2. This means nine combinations.
Once you have built your well plate, make some observations and determine which
combinations resulted in a reaction. Record your observations below:

Pb Zn Cu
Formation of
Pb(NO3)2(aq) x crystals/precipitate No reaction
on surface

Zn(NO3)2(aq) No reaction x No reaction

Color change on Zinc changed color

Cu(NO3)2(aq) surface (darker), greatly, solution lost x
formation of blue color,
precipitate on strip of crystallization
metal

Now lets try to see which metal, zinc or copper, is capable of displacing the hydrogen ion in an
acid.

-1-

 M(s) + HCl(aq) ! MxCly(aq) + H2(g) (metal replacement of an H+)

Procedure II:

Obtain two small test tubes. Place about 1 mL of hydrochloric acid (HCl) in the test tube. Then
add a piece of zinc metal to one and copper metal to the other. Record your observations

Zinc + hydrochloric acid Bubbles > sign of gas formation

Copper + hydrochloric acid No reaction

Analysis Questions ( to be answered on another sheet of paper)

1. Write balanced overall equations for each reaction that occurred in both Procedure I and
Procedure II. Using a contrasting pen or pencil – lab the reactant that is oxidized and the
reactant that is reduced.

2. Take one reaction from Procedure I and write the complete and net ionic equations. Label all
states of matter.

3. For one of the three reactions that occurred in Procedure I,

(a) Write the two half-reactions that describe the oxidation and the reduction processes.
(b) Add the two equations together to create a balanced net ionic equation. Be sure to balance
the number of atoms and electrons transferred.

4. One way of interpreting the data is to consider how reactive the metals are. In this case,
reactivity refers to the ability of the metal to replace the metal ion in solution. List the three
metals in order of decreasing reactivity. Compare your results to the Metal Activity Table
provided by your instructor.

5. Take a look at the Metal Activity Table. How would you use this to predict your results in
Procedure II? For example, can magnesium metal displace the hydrogen ion in an acid? OR can
silver metal displace the hydrogen ion in an acid? Explain.

6. In one sentence, state the relationship between activity of a metal and ease with which the
metal loses electrons.

7. Predict the following, if a reaction occurs, then write a net ionic equation. If no reaction
occurs, then write N.R.

(a) Ba(s) + Mn(NO3)2(aq) !

(b) Fe(s) + LiNO3 (aq) !

(c) Au(s) + HCl(aq) !

(d) Cd(s) + Cr(NO3)2 (aq) !

-2-

 (e) Pb(s) + H2O(l) !

Metal Activity Table

The metals below are listed in order of decreasing activity. The most active metals are found at
the top of the list.

How to use: When a solid metal is placed in a solution containing the cation of a metal that is
lower on the list, a reaction will occur in which the solid metal becomes a cation and the ion
becomes the solid metal. If the solution contains a cation of a metal that is higher on the list, no
reaction will occur.

Metal Metal
Reactivity
s Ion
K K+
Na Na+
Li Li+
react with water
Ba Ba2+
Sr Sr2+
Ca Ca2+
Mg Mg2+
Al Al3+
Mn Mn2+
Zn Zn2+
Cr Cr2+
Fe Fe2+ react with acids
Cd Cd2+
Co Co2+
Ni Ni2+
Sn Sn2+
Pb Pb2+
H2 H+ included for comparison

-3-




 Sb Sb2+
Bi Bi2+
Cu Cu2+
Hg Hg2+ highly unreactive
Ag Ag+
Au Au3+
Pt Pt+

-4-