Calcium, zinc and copper are metals. Describe what happens when each of these metals is added to dilute hydrochloric acid. Include the names of the products formed in each case.

AQA GCSE Chemistry (8462) — 4.4.2 Reactions of acids · Describe · 4 marks · View as Markdown

Written & reviewed by James Millett — Biology (Imperial College London), PGCE Science (University of Cambridge).

Model answer (4 marks)

Calcium reacts very quickly with dilute hydrochloric acid, producing calcium chloride and hydrogen gas.
Zinc reacts more slowly, forming zinc chloride and hydrogen gas.
Copper does not react with dilute hydrochloric acid because it is below hydrogen in the reactivity series.

Examiner tips

Use the correct reaction equations for each metal; mention the rate of reaction for Ca and Zn.
Include the product names: calcium chloride, zinc chloride, and hydrogen gas; state that copper gives no reaction.
Show the order of reactivity (Ca > Zn > Cu) to justify the observations.
Keep the answer concise – one sentence per metal is sufficient for 4 marks.

Common mistakes

Writing that copper reacts or that it produces copper chloride; copper is unreactive with HCl.
Forgetting to mention hydrogen gas as a product for Ca and Zn.
Using the wrong salt names (e.g., calcium chloride instead of calcium chloride).

Mark scheme (4 marks)

Calcium reacts very quickly / vigorously with dilute hydrochloric acid
Zinc reacts fairly slowly / less vigorously than calcium with dilute hydrochloric acid
Copper does not react with dilute hydrochloric acid (copper is below hydrogen in the reactivity series)
Calcium and zinc each produce a salt (calcium chloride / zinc chloride) and hydrogen gas; accept hydrogen for either reacting metal

Key terms in this question

dilute hydrochloric acid