Form 4 Experiment 5.1 | Chemistry

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.

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.” chemistry form 4 experiment 5.1

Lin nodded, swirling the last of the pale, colourless solution down the sink. “That’s not war,” she smiled. “That’s displacement. And now we know how to prove who belongs where.” The reaction was instant and violent

“Magnesium!” the class shouted.