Chemistry Form 4 Experiment 5.1 -

It was. The zinc was tearing the copper out of the solution. The chemical equation wrote itself in Maya’s mind: Zinc + Copper(II) sulphate → Zinc sulphate + Copper.

“No reaction,” Maya noted, scribbling in her book. “Copper + copper sulphate → no change. That means copper is low in the reactivity series. It can’t kick itself out of its own salt.”

Only the blue solution. Nothing happened. It remained still, a calm witness.

The experiment was simple, yet dangerous to a careless hand. Procedure 5.1: Investigate the reaction of metals with the salt solution of another metal. chemistry form 4 experiment 5.1

The solution turned from vibrant blue to a pale, cloudy colourless. The reddish-brown solid was pure, elemental copper. Zinc was the hero.

Later, as they washed the test tubes, Ravi looked at the reddish-brown copper residue stuck to the glass. “It’s like a chemical war,” he said. “The strong kick the weak out of their homes.”

Maya, the cautious one, read the steps aloud. “First, we label four test tubes. One is the control.” It was

Ravi carefully dropped a few granules of zinc into the next tube. For a moment, nothing. Then, a miracle. The deep blue colour began to bleed away from the zinc, as if an invisible eraser was moving upwards. Simultaneously, a reddish-brown dust started to bloom on the surface of the zinc granules, like rust forming in fast-forward.

The reaction was instant and violent. The magnesium hissed like an angry cat. The blue solution boiled around the metal, turning pale within seconds. But unlike the zinc, the magnesium didn’t just produce a dusting of copper. It became coated in a hot, fizzing blanket of reddish-brown powder. The test tube grew warm to the touch.

Maya stood up, her voice steady. “Magnesium is the most reactive, then zinc, then copper. Because a more reactive metal will displace a less reactive metal from its salt solution.” “No reaction,” Maya noted, scribbling in her book

Ravi, whose fingers were always a little too eager, held a small coil of magnesium ribbon. It looked like a piece of dull, grey tinsel. “This looks harmless,” he smirked.

He dropped the ribbon into the final bath of blue.

It was a Thursday afternoon, and the Form 4 Science lab smelled of antiseptic and old wood. Maya, Lin, and Ravi huddled over their workstation, a neat row of four test tubes clamped to a metal stand. Their teacher, Puan Aishah, had given them a puzzle.