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Science at key stage 3    (Year 9)

Unit 9E: Reactions of metals and metal compounds
Section 3: How do acids react with metal carbonates?

QCA

Objectives
Children should learn:
  • that acids react with metal carbonates, producing carbon dioxide and a salt
  • that production of new materials and energy changes are evidence of chemical reactions

Activities

Outcomes
Children:
  • Ask pupils to explore what happens when acids, eg hydrochloric, sulphuric, nitric, react with a range of carbonates, eg sodium carbonate, calcium carbonate, copper carbonate. Prompt them with a series of questions, eg
    • What is similar about the reactions?
    • Is a gas made? How do you know and what is it?
    • Are there colour changes?
    • Does the test tube get hot or cold?
  • Ask pupils to record their observations systematically and to record evidence of a chemical reaction taking place.
  • Give pupils the formulae of a variety of metal carbonates and their corresponding chlorides, sulphates and nitrates, and invite pupils in groups to work out the products of some reactions between metal carbonates and acids. Help them to construct word equations. Collect and discuss their predictions, look for any patterns and establish the general word equation.
  • identify the gas produced as carbon dioxide
  • identify evidence for a chemical reaction, eg a gas is produced, the test tube is getting hot
  • represent reactions by word equations
  • identify the pattern in word equations and produce a general equation

Points to note
  • In unit 7F 'Simple chemical reactions' pupils are likely to have reacted acids with carbonates and tested for carbon dioxide produced, but are less likely to have considered the other products of the reaction. Pupils will have investigated different samples of limestone through their reaction with acid in unit 8H 'The rock cycle'.
  • Pupils will have considered burning/oxidation as a reaction in which energy is released in unit 7I 'Energy resources' and unit 8B 'Respiration'. This unit is the first in which they will have considered energy release as indicative of a chemical reaction.
  • In the activities in this unit, it may be helpful to emphasise that nitrate and sulphate, and sometimes carbonate, are 'groups' which often stay together in chemical reactions.
  • Teachers may wish to help some pupils represent these reactions by symbol equations.
  • Extension: pupils who have some familiarity with formulae and symbol equations could be given a short passage in a foreign language containing a number of equations. Their ability to explain it demonstrates the universality of chemical formulae and equations.

    • Safety

    • 0.4 mol dm-3 solutions of acid are suitable. 0.4 mol dm-3 hydrochloric acid is low hazard, 0.4 mol dm-3 sulphuric acid is low hazard and 0.4 mol dm-3 nitric acid is irritant

Sections in this unit

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This unit is divided into sections. Each section contains a sequence of activities with related objectives and outcomes. You can view this unit by moving through the sections or print/download the whole unit.
1. Why are metals useful?
2. What happens when metals react with acids?
3. How do acids react with metal carbonates?
4. What evidence is there of a chemical reaction between acids and metal oxides?
5. Checking progress
6. a. What is a salt?
7. b. What is a salt?
8. c. What is a salt?
9. Reviewing work