Can Metals React with Water in Addition to Acids?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the reactivity of metals with water and acids, exploring whether metals can react with water in addition to acids, and how this affects chemical equations and calculations in reactions. The scope includes theoretical considerations and practical implications in chemical reactions.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested
  • Mathematical reasoning

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants propose that metals react with acids to form salts and water, while also questioning if metals can react with water to form hydroxides.
  • There is a discussion about the reactivity of different metals, with sodium being highlighted as more reactive than gold, leading to questions about its behavior in reactions with water versus displacement reactions.
  • One participant asserts that sodium will react with water before it can displace zinc in a solution, due to its high reactivity.
  • Another participant raises a question about the implications of magnesium reacting with hydrochloric acid and whether to consider its reaction with water in calculations.
  • There is a suggestion that the presence of magnesium hydroxide in acid could alter the overall reaction, prompting further inquiry into the calculations involved.
  • Participants express uncertainty about how to account for water produced in reactions and its impact on stoichiometric calculations.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on whether to include the reaction of metals with water in their calculations, and there are competing views on the reactivity of metals and their behavior in different chemical contexts.

Contextual Notes

Participants express uncertainty regarding the assumptions behind the reactions and the implications of different metal properties on their reactivity with water and acids. There are unresolved questions about the overall reaction equations and the role of water in stoichiometric calculations.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to students and educators in chemistry, particularly those exploring metal reactivity, stoichiometry, and the nuances of chemical reactions involving acids and water.

sgstudent
Messages
726
Reaction score
3
Metals will react with acid to form a salt and water. But won't the metal also react with water to form an hydroxide? Similarly, when I put sodium metal into a zinc sulfate solution will displacement occur or will the sodium react with water? Thanks for the help!
 
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What do you think? Remember that different metals have different properties.Compare,for example,sodium with gold.
 
Dadface said:
What do you think? Remember that different metals have different properties.Compare,for example,sodium with gold.

Sodium is more reactive so it will react with water? But why won't it displace but instead react with water? Also I'm unsure why won't the sodium also react with water...

Thanks for the help!
 
Sodium has not time to react with dissolved Zn - it will react with water first, just because of the very high reactivity. Some metals can be reduced with metallic sodium, but it is done not in the solution, but in the molten salts. See for example: http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ba-1957-0019.ch014

I seem to remember one of the light elements was first prepared in the pure form bu the sodium reduction, but for the life of me, I can't remember details.
 
Oh ok. Thanks for the help.:) then also, when I react eg Mg with HCl, Mg+2HCl-->MgCl2+H2. Then when I do the mole calculation I'll use this reactions to determine my values? So I ignore the reaction of metals and water? Reaction:Mg+2H2O-->Mg(OH)2+H2
 
Last edited:
Even if you have a reaction of Mg with water, it doesn't matter. What happens to the Mg(OH)2 in the presence of acid? What is the overall reaction?
 
Borek said:
Even if you have a reaction of Mg with water, it doesn't matter. What happens to the Mg(OH)2 in the presence of acid? What is the overall reaction?

I know that it would produce a salt too, but won't the calculations be different?
 
Write overall reaction equation.
 
Borek said:
Write overall reaction equation.

Mg+H2O+2HCL>MgCl2+H2+H2O Ohh, the H2O produced would cancel out!
 
  • #10
Borek, you are a genius.
 
  • #11
Quite the opposite, but I will spare you details.
 

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