jessica_best
May 4, 2009, 04:33 PM
I am doing a Chemistry Demo and my partner and i decided to combine magnesium and HCL into a pop bottle and cap it so it can explode.
we have to be able to explain to the class what the chemistry behind it is and well i'm not all sure and google is not much help with that any one know or have an idea?:confused:
My partner and i have to prsent it to the class this Thursday :eek: soo any one who can help plzz do ! :D
thanks
~Jessica~ :p;):cool:
Zazonker
May 4, 2009, 05:17 PM
The magnesium and the hydrochloric acid will react to release hydrogen gas and produce a salt. From this you should be able to identify the salt. Considering the valences, you should be able to balance the equation.
Perito
May 4, 2009, 06:54 PM
HCl + Mg \rightarrow MgCl_2 + H_2
As Zazonker suggested, I'm leaving it up to you to balance the equation. It's trivial.
This type of equation is very common. Virtually all alkali metals (group IA) and alkaline earths (group IIA) undergo this same reaction. Even Aluminum will participate in this reaction, but a hard aluminum oxide film that forms very quickly on aluminum slows the reaction way down. If you add sodium hydroxide, which will "eat away" the oxide film, the reaction will go forward very quickly.
The group IA metals react violently. Potassium, K, reacts much more violently than sodium, Na, and that reacts much more violently than Li. I've never seen the reaction with Rb or Cs, but I assume that the reaction with these metals is more violent still. The reaction of potassium with water gives off so much heat that the hydrogen almost invariably explodes (i.e. burns in air).