Chemical Concepts Demonstrated: Chemistry of active metals, chemistry of magnesium
Demonstration:
Strips of ignited Mg are immersed into flasks filled with the following gases.
GAS |
OBSERVATIONS: |
| O2 | 2 Mg (s) + O2 (g) ---> 2 MgO (s) A bright white light is produced. |
| N2 | 3 Mg (s) + N2 (g) ---> Mg3N2 (s) |
| CO2 | 2 Mg (s) + CO2(g) ---> 2 MgO (s) + C (s) (Note: A CO2 fire extinguisher should NOT be used to fight active metal fires!!!) |
| SO2 | 2 Mg (s) + SO2 (g) ---> 2 MgO (s) + S (s) |
| H2 | Mg (s) + H2 (g) ----> MgH2 (s) (When dissolved in water, this produces a basic solution) |
| H2S | Mg (s) + H2S (g) ---> MgS (s) + H2 (g) (When dissolved in water, the magnesium compound produces a basic solution) |
| Cl2 | Mg (s) + Cl2 (g) ---> MgCl2(s) |
| NH3 | 3 Mg (s) + NH3 (g) ---> Mg3N2 (s) + 3 H2 (g) |
| Boiling water | Mg (s) + H2O (g) ---> MgO (s) + H2 (g) |