question_answer 65)

  Zinc liberates hydrogen gas when reacted with dilute hydrochloric acid, whereas copper does not. Explain, why?

Answer:

  The position of zinc in the reactivity series is above hydrogen whereas that of copper is below hydrogen. It means that Zn oxidizes (loses electrons) more easily than hydrogen whereas copper does not do so. So, copper does not displace Hg from dilute acids. The reaction is