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VICChemistryQuick questions
Unit 2: How do chemical reactions shape the natural world?
Quick questions on Reactions of acids with metals, oxides, hydroxides and carbonates: VCE Chemistry Unit 2
12short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What is acid + metal?Show answer
A metal above hydrogen in the activity series reacts with a dilute acid to give a salt and hydrogen gas:
What is acid + metal oxide?Show answer
A metal oxide is a basic oxide. Adding it to an acid gives a salt and water:
What is acid + metal hydroxide?Show answer
A metal hydroxide is a base. Adding it to an acid gives a salt and water:
What is acid + carbonate or hydrogen carbonate?Show answer
Both metal carbonates and metal hydrogen carbonates react with acids to give a salt, water and carbon dioxide gas:
What is summary table?Show answer
In every case the result is a soluble salt of the metal with the acid's anion plus water (and possibly $H_2$ or $CO_2$). This is also the basis of the four ways in which a chemist makes salts in the laboratory.
What is observations?Show answer
bubbles of hydrogen gas; the metal is consumed; the solution gets warmer (exothermic); test for $H_2$ with a glowing splint (it pops).
What is calling the metal-plus-acid reaction a neutralisation?Show answer
It is redox. No proton transfer to a base happens in the Brønsted sense; instead the proton is reduced to $H_2$.
What is forgetting to balance the H atoms?Show answer
$H_2SO_4$ contributes two $H^+$ per molecule, so $2NaOH$ are needed; $H_3PO_4$ contributes three. Read the formula before balancing.
What is writing $H_2CO_3$ as a stable product?Show answer
Carbonic acid is unstable and is shown as $H_2O + CO_2$ in the final equation.
What is forgetting the gas for a carbonate or hydrogen carbonate reaction?Show answer
$CO_2$ is part of the products and is a marked observation.
What is confusing the two gas tests?Show answer
Hydrogen burns with a pop test (a glowing splint at the mouth of a test tube). Carbon dioxide turns limewater milky and does not pop.
What is assuming any metal reacts?Show answer
Copper, silver and gold do not react with dilute hydrochloric or sulfuric acid. They are below hydrogen.