CLASS – X

ACTIVITY-1
Performing and observing the following reactions and classifying them into:
A. Combination reaction
B. Decomposition reaction
C. Displacement reaction
D. Double displacement reaction
(i) Action of water on quicklime
(ii) Action of heat on ferrous sulphate crystals
(iii) Iron nails kept in copper sulphate solution
(iv) Reaction between sodium sulphate and barium chloride solutions.

(i) Action of water on quicklime

Procedure:

 Take a small quantity of calcium oxide (quick lime) in a beaker.

 Slowly add water to the quick lime taken in the beaker. Pour enough water so that the
quick lime remains submerged in the water.
 Touch the beaker with fingers to note the temperature.
 Leave the beaker undisturbed for some time.
 Take a small quantity of clear solution from the beaker in a test tube and blow exhaled air
into the lime water.

Observations:

 When water is added to quick lime, a suspension of slaked lime is formed.

 On touching the beaker we feel it is hot.
 A clear solution appears as the suspension of slaked lime settles down to the bottom of
the beaker.
 On blowing exhaled air that contains sufficient carbon dioxide, lime water turns milky.

Inferences:

 Quick lime reacts vigorously with water to produce slaked lime releasing a large amount
of heat. So the reaction is highly exothermic.

                                                                                                     

 Slaked lime is only slightly soluble in water, so it forms a suspension of slaked lime in
water.
  The clear solution obtained after the suspension settles is called lime water.
 Exhaled air contains CO2 which turns lime water milky.
 Calcium oxide and water react to form only a single product, calcium hydroxide. So the
reaction is a combination reaction.

(ii) Action of heat on ferrous sulphate crystals

Procedure;

 Take about 2g of ferrous sulphate crystals in a dry boiling tube and note the colour of the
crystals.
 Hold the boiling tube with a test tube holder and heat the boiling tube over the flame of a
burner.
 Smell the gas being emitted.
 Observe the colour of the crystals after heating.

Observations:

 The ferrous sulphate crystals are light green in colour.

 The gas emitted has the characteristic odour of burning sulphur.
 On heating, the colour changes from light green to white.
 On further heating, the white substance changes to dark brown solid.

Inference:

 Ferrous sulphate crystals contain water molecules (FeSO 4. 7H2O). On heating, ferrous
sulphate crystals lose water and anhydrous ferrous sulphate (FeSO 4) is formed. So their
colour changes from light green to white.
 On further heating, anhydrous ferrous sulphate decomposes to form ferric oxide (Fe 2O3),
sulphur dioxide (SO2) and sulphur trioxide (SO3). So, the gas emitted smells like burning
sulphur. 

 In this reaction, the single reactant FeSO 4 decomposes to form three different products.
So, the reaction is a decomposition reaction.

Precautions:

1. Do not point the mouth of the boiling tube at your neighbours or yourself.
2.  Waft gases emitted from ferrous sulphate on heating gently towards your nose holding
the test tube at a distance. The gases SO 2 and SO3 are very harmful, so do not take a
deep breath when smelling the odour of the gases.
3. Always use a test tube holder while heating the test tube.

(iii) Iron nails kept in copper sulphate solution

Procedure:

 Clean two iron nails of sufficient size by rubbing them with sand paper so that their colour
appears greyish.
 Take sufficient quantity of copper sulphate solution in two different test tubes.
 Clamp the test tubes to different stands.
 Tie one nail using a thread and hang in one test tube. Tie the other end of the thread to
the stand.
 Keep the other nail in a Petri dish for comparison after the experiment.
 Keep the two test tubes undisturbed for about 15 minutes.
 Remove the iron nail immersed in the copper sulphate solution and put it in the Petridish.

Observations:

 There is a brown coating on the iron nail dipped in the copper sulphate solution. Whereas
the iron nail placed in the Petri dish shows the grayish colour of iron.
 The colour of the solution of copper sulphate in which the iron nail was dipped changes
to light greenish, whereas the colour of copper sulphate solution in the other test tube
does not change.

Inference:

 The brown coating on the iron nail shows that copper is deposited on the iron nail by
displacing iron.
 The greenish colour of the solution in the test tube shows that Fe 2+ ions are present in the
solution.
 This shows that iron is more reactive than copper, as Fe 2+ ions have displaced Cu2+ ions
from copper sulphate solution.
 This is a single displacement reaction in which copper has been displaced from iron from
copper sulphate solution.

Precautions:

1. Clean the iron nails by rubbing with sand paper to remove rust, dust or greasy surface.
2. Keep the control experiment to compare the colour of iron nails and copper sulphate
solution.
3. Avoid touching copper sulphate solution or nail dipped in copper sulphate solution as
copper sulphate is poisonous.

(iv) Reaction between sodium sulphate and barium chloride solutions

Procedure:

 Take 2ml of sodium sulphate solution in a test tube.

 Take 1ml of barium chloride solution in another test tube.
 Add barium chloride solution to sodium sulphate solution.
 Observe the change.
 Observation:

 A white precipitate appears that is insoluble in dilute HCl.

Inference:

 When sodium sulphate chemically reacts with barium chloride in the form of their
aqueous solutions, white precipitate of barium sulphate appears. This confirms the
presence of sulphate (SO42-) ions.

                                                                                                                                                     

 It is a double displacement reaction in which sulphate ions are displaced by chloride ions
and chloride ions are displaced by sulphate ions.

 Precautions:

1. Use the chemicals judiciously.

2. Keep the mouth of the test tube away from your face and also from other classmates.

Handle the acids and alkali carefully.

ACTIVITY-2

Objective

To study the properties of acids and bases (HCl and NaOH) by their reaction with:

 Litmus solution (blue/Red)

 Zinc metal
 Solid sodium carbonate

Procedure:

 Action of litmus solution with acid and base.

Experiment Observation Inference

Take a little amount of blue and red litmus
solutions separately in two test tubes. Add HCl is an acid having pH value
Blue litmus turns red.
few drops of HCl to each test tube using a below 7.
dropper.

Take a little amount of blue and red litmus

solutions separately in two test tubes. Add NaOH is an alkali having pH
Red litmus turns blue.
few drops of NaOH to each test tube value more than 7.
using a dropper.

 
  
The evolution of hydrogen gas can be seen by conducting the following experiments.

Experiment Observation Inference

Take some pieces of zinc metal in a A gas is evolved. It
boiling tube. Add few drops of HCl extinguishes the
into the boiling tube using a dropper. burning matchstick and
Then place a dropper with a fine jet burns itself with mild The gas evolved is hydrogen which
on the mouth of the tube. Heat the explosion and burns with mild explosion.
boiling tube. Bring a burning produces a popping
matchstick near the mouth of the fine sound.
jet.

Take some pieces of zinc metal in a A gas is evolved. It

boiling tube. Add few drops of NaOH extinguishes the
into the boiling tube using a dropper. burning matchstick and
Then place a dropper with a fine jet burns itself with mild The gas evolved is hydrogen which
on the mouth of the tube. Heat the explosion and burns with mild explosion.
boiling tube. Bring a burning produces a popping
matchstick near the mouth of the fine sound.
jet.

Action of HCl on solid sodium carbonate

Experiment Observation Inference

Take a small quantity
of solid sodium
carbonate in a flask.
Then add distilled
water into it. Cork the
flask with a double
bore cork and insert a
thistle funnel into the
flask. Then place a
beaker containing lime A gas is evolved
The gas produced is carbon dioxide due to the action of HCl
water near the flask. which turns lime
on Na2CO3, which turns lime water milky.
Then insert one end of water turns milky.
the delivery tube into
the flask and the other
end into the beaker.
Now add HCl into the
flask through the
thistle funnel and
observe the change in
colour of the lime
water.

Action of NaOH on solid sodium carbonate

Experiment Observation Inference

Take a small The solution in Both NaOH and Na2CO3 are alkali so they do not react but form
quantity of solid the test tube alkaline solution. Phenolphthalein gives pink colour in an alkaline
sodium carbonate in turns pink. medium.
a test tube and add
a little of NaOH
solution into it. Then
shake the test tube
well. Then add few
drops of
phenolphthalein into
the test tube.

Precautions:

1. Take small quantities of zinc, HCl and NaOH for their reaction, otherwise large amount of
hydrogen produced may cause explosion.
2. To hydrogen burning take a fine jet.
3. Add HCl to Na2CO3, only when apparatus is made carefully airtight.
4. NaOH and HCl are injurious, handle these chemicals carefully.