Question

What happens when a piece of aluminum metal is added to dilute hydrochloric acid? Also, write the balanced chemical equation if the reaction occurs.

Answer 1

The reaction of Metal with Acid:

• When a metal reacts with an acid, a salt is formed along with the liberation of hydrogen gas $\left({\mathrm{H}}_2\right)$.

The reaction of Aluminium with dilute Hydrochloric acid:

• When aluminium $\left(\mathrm{Al}\right)$ reacts with dilute hydrochloric acid $\left(\mathrm{HCl}\right)$, a salt is formed along with the liberation of hydrogen gas $\left({\mathrm{H}}_2\right)$.
• The chemical equation can be depicted as:

$2\mathrm{Al}\left(\mathrm{s}\right)+6\mathrm{HCl}\left(\mathrm{aq}\right)\to 2{\mathrm{AlCl}}_3\left(\mathrm{aq}\right)+3{\mathrm{H}}_2\left(\mathrm{g}\right)$