Let iron react with hydrochloric acid

What you need:

• Protective clothing (lab coat)
• rubber gloves
• safety goggles
• large test tube
• Iron (e.g. B. Nail, iron wool, iron filings, iron powder ...)
• hydrochloric acid
• possibly (for proof of hydrogen)
• key
• Measuring cylinder
• Rubber stopper with hole
• hose
• Glass plate
• long wood chip
• Lighter

Iron and hydrochloric acid - experiment instructions

1. When handling acids, you should always wear protective clothing, i.e. a lab coat, rubber gloves and protective goggles.
2. Give some iron (e.g. B. an iron nail) in a large test tube or other glass vessel.
3. Pour enough hydrochloric acid into the vessel to cover the iron well.
4. You observe gas formation, small gas bubbles form on the surface of the iron and rise to the top. If you want to perform a detection reaction for the gas, you can collect the gas.

Detection reaction for hydrogen - experiment instructions

1. If you want to catch the gas, close your glass vessel with a pierced rubber stopper. Connect a rubber hose to the rubber stopper using a glass connector.


Let aluminum react with hydrochloric acid - experiment instructions and explanation

A simple chemical experiment is the reaction of aluminum with hydrochloric acid. The …

2. Prepare a large bowl of water. Fill a measuring cylinder (e.g. B. 250 ml) completely with water, cover the filled measuring cylinder with a pane of glass and place it upside down, i.e. with the opening facing down, in the water-filled bowl. Remove the glass pane under water so that the measuring cylinder is completely filled with water and there are no air bubbles in it.
3. During the experiment with iron and hydrochloric acid, carefully lift the measuring cylinder only so far that you can insert the rubber tube into the measuring cylinder.
4. In this way you can collect the gas that has formed when iron reacts with hydrochloric acid under water. The gas displaces the water from the measuring cylinder.
5. To detect hydrogen, carry out the oxyhydrogen reaction: Insert a burning wood chip into the measuring cylinder. Hydrogen burns with a loud bang; You are watching water droplets.

Reaction of iron with hydrochloric acid - explanation

• In this reaction, an electron transfer takes place, i.e. it is a redox reaction.
• Iron is oxidized, i.e. from iron of oxidation level 0 (= elemental iron Fe⁰) Depending on the reaction conditions, Fe (II) or Fe (III) can be formed.
• The electrons are absorbed by the protons of the hydrochloric acid, which are thereby absorbed by H⁺ to elemental hydrogen H₂ can be reduced with the oxidation state 0.
• The chloride ion of the hydrochloric acid remains unchanged during the reaction.
• Possible reaction equation: Fe + 2 HCl -> FeCl₂ + H_2.