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Show that iron is more reactive than copper

  Materials Required

100 mL beaker, shaving blades, copper sulphate (Plastic bottle), distilled water (Wash bottle), dilute sulphuric acid, dropper, glass rod, forceps, and a spatula.

 

  The Procedure

Real lab Procedure

  • Take a 100 mL beaker and add about 50 mL of water. 
  • Pour about a spatula full of copper sulphate in water and stir the solution using a glass rod to dissolve it. 
  • Add a few drops of dilute sulphuric acid to the solution using a dropper. 
  • Drop a shaving blade into the solution using forceps.  
  • Handle the shaving blade carefully. 
  • After half an hour of observing the change in the blade’s colour and copper sulphate solution. 

 

Simulator Procedure 

  • Drag the wash bottle towards the beaker 
  • Drop the wash bottle to pour 50mL water into the beaker 
  • Click on the cap of the copper sulphate bottle to open it 
  • Drag the spatula towards the copper sulphate bottle 
  • Drop the spatula to collect copper sulphate from the bottle 
  • Drag the spatula with copper sulphate towards the beaker containing water 
  • Drop the spatula to pour the copper sulphate into the beaker 
  • Drag the glass rod towards the beaker 
  • Drop the glass rod to stir the copper sulphate and water 
  • Drag the dropper containing dil.H2SO4 towards the top of the beaker 
  • Drop the dropper to drop few drops of dil.H2SO4 
  • Drag the forceps towards the shaving blade 
  • Drop the forceps to collect the shaving blade 
  • Drag the forceps with blade towards the top of the beaker 
  • Drop the forceps with blade to immerse the blade into the solution in beaker 

 

  Observation 

The blue colour solution of copper sulphate first fades and then changes to green and a brown deposit is formed on the shaving blade. 

 

  Conclusion

Copper metal which is brown in colour is deposited on shaving blade due to its displacement from copper sulphate by iron. Green colour of the solution is due to the formation of iron sulphate. 

CuSO4(aq) + Fe → FeSO4(aq) + Cu(s) 

Copper sulphate   +    Iron    →      Iron sulphate  +  Copper 

         Blue                      Grey              Light green        Brown 

 

  Precautions 

  • Handle chemicals carefully. 
  • Use laboratory safety measures while doing the experiment.  
  • We should prepare 5% solution of copper sulphate.
  • Too much concentrated solution will mask the green colour of iron sulphate formed and with very dilute solution reaction will be slow.