Testing For Hydrogen Gas - Chemistry

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Testing For Hydrogen

Aim: Reacting metal with acid to create hydrogen gas.

Equipment: Test Tube, Boiling Tube, Wooden Splint, Hydrochloric Acid, Retort Stand, Clamp, Magnesium 2M & Safety Glasses.

Method:

1. Attach the boiling tube to the retort stand and place the boiling upside down.

2. Add your sample of metal to your test tube, pour 2-4 ml of acid into the test tube. Shake it gently.

3. Keep shaking/swirling the boiling tube ( gently ) and bubbles will appear. Do this for a few minutes, until the metal is dissolved. Wait for it to fill with gas. 

4. When you think the tube is full with gas carefully remove the test tube.

5. Light a wooden splint and put it at the opening of the boiling tube. Observe.

Results:

Evaluation: 

During the experiment, my group had to change the equipment because they were of no use. We changed the conical flask to a boiling tube because the hydrogen gas kept escaping out of the holes. I recommend using these changes.

Discussion:

Balanced Equation:

Magnesium reacts with hydrochloric acid to produce magnesium chloride and hydrogen gas. If hydrogen gas is present the wooden splint will go out with a loud pop noise.

Magnesium has an electron configuration of 2, 8, 2 and wants to lose two electrons to become stable. So Magnesium is now going to become Mg²⁺. Both Hydrogens are going to accept one electron each and form a covalent* bond. Because Hydrogen can only have two in its shell, both hydrogen is going to share both electrons.

Chlorine has an electron configuration of  2, 8, 7 and is very electronegative. Electronegative meaning it loves electrons. Chlorine is then going to steal an electron from hydrogen, and then it's going to turn into chloride. Magnesium has a positive charge and chloride has a negative charge and they have an electrovalent bond. 

Covalent Bonds: Bond which involves sharing electrons.