Go to Top Teachers Guide Purpose To observe the reaction of magnesium in acid. To measure the heat of solution of magnesium metal and calculate the heat of formation of aqueous magnesium ion. This works well as a demonstration or a class experiment. Dissolve the magnesium as a demonstration. It is not necessary to cover the thermodynamic relationships introduced in this lesson.
Students can simply practice measuring the heat of a chemical reaction.
Use caution to prevent cuts. Cut a 1-meter length of magnesium ribbon. Use steel wool to polish the ribbon. Polishing removes impurities from the metal ribbon surface. Provide students with data for the length and mass of the polished ribbon.