5.1 - Chemistry Form 4 Experiment

In their lab books, under , Maya wrote the final line of the story:

He dropped the ribbon into the final bath of blue. chemistry form 4 experiment 5.1

It was. The zinc was tearing the copper out of the solution. The chemical equation wrote itself in Maya’s mind: Zinc + Copper(II) sulphate → Zinc sulphate + Copper. In their lab books, under , Maya wrote

It was a Thursday afternoon, and the Form 4 Science lab smelled of antiseptic and old wood. Maya, Lin, and Ravi huddled over their workstation, a neat row of four test tubes clamped to a metal stand. Their teacher, Puan Aishah, had given them a puzzle. The chemical equation wrote itself in Maya’s mind:

“Today,” she had announced, her voice crackling through the lab’s humid air, “you are all forensic chemists. A factory has spilled three different metals—magnesium, zinc, and copper—into a vat of copper(II) sulphate solution. Your job is to determine which metal is the ‘hero’ that reacts, and which are the ‘villains’ that remain inert.”

“Last one,” Ravi whispered, holding the magnesium ribbon with a pair of tongs. Puan Aishah wandered over. “Careful, Ravi. This one is dramatic.”

The experiment was simple, yet dangerous to a careless hand. Procedure 5.1: Investigate the reaction of metals with the salt solution of another metal.