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The Reactivity of Metals: Why does copper react when added to hydrochloric acid?

June 9, 2011

Hi I am Aimee. I am currently doing extension chemistry and am in year 10. I am doing a science prac report for my chemistry class. After experiments on other metals, like Magnesium, our group discovered that Copper reacted fiercely when added to Hydrochloric acid. We are measuring this by measuring the hydrogen gas which is produced during the reaction. I would like to know, why we could produce so much hydrogen gas?

Thank you for your time,
Aimee

Aimee A.
student - Australia

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Aimee
There are a huge number of ways you could answer the question you have proposed.
Firstly you have to consider the laws of thermodynamics. That will tell you why copper reacted with the acid.

Then to tell you how much was produced you need to work out the reaction equation. (It's your homework I'm not going to give you that.)

Then consider that 2 g of Hydrogen gas (1 mole) would take up approx 22.4 litres of space.

Also if you can try and get in some references to Avogadro's number that would be useful.

Ciaron Murphy
- South Wales, UK
First of two simultaneous responses -- June 14, 2011

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Hi Aimee
Copper doesn't dissolve with release of hydrogen from either hydrochloric or sulfuric acid.
There is vigorous reaction with nitric acid when poisonous nitrous gases are given off

Geoffrey Whitelaw
- Port Melbourne, Australia
Second of two simultaneous responses -- June 14, 2011