Answer to Question #135520 in General Chemistry for Kabibe Alexander

Question

Mg

H - Decrease in reactivity

Cu

Based ONLY of the position in the reactivity series, which element would you select for use in making containers to store acidic fruit juice? Explain your answer.

Answer 1

Since as we move from Mg to Cu, there occurs a decrease in chemical reactivity, copper does not react with dilute acids to produce hydrogen gas where as magnesium is reported to react with dilute acids. So, copper made containers are safe to use to store acidic fruit juice. The inactivity of copper to react with acids is also evident from the redox potential values of Cu²⁺/Cu couple in compariosn woth Mg²⁺/Mg system.