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Metal Displacement Reactions
Virtual Lab Bench
Step 1: Choose a salt solution. Step 2: Choose a metal strip to place in it.
Observations
Reactivity Series
About Metal Displacement Reactions
In a displacement reaction, a more reactive metal will displace a less reactive metal from its salt solution. This is a redox reaction where the more reactive metal is oxidised (loses electrons) and the metal ion in solution is reduced (gains electrons) to form a solid metal deposit.
By testing different metal and solution combinations, you can build the reactivity series: Mg > Zn > Fe > Cu > Ag. A metal will only displace another metal that is lower in the reactivity series. If the metal is less reactive than the ion in solution, no reaction occurs.