Will the following reaction take place? #"Mg + PbCl"_2"##rarr##"MgCl"_2 + "Pb"#

1 Answer
Jun 8, 2015

Yes.

Explanation:

In a single replacement (displacement) reaction involving metals, an elemental metal replaces a metal in a compound. The general equation is A + BX #rarr# B + AX, where A and B are metals.

In order for a single replacement reaction to occur, A must be more reactive than B. We use an activity series of metals in order to determine the reactivity of different metals. The higher a metal is in the series, the more reactive it is. A metal will replace a metal listed below it in the activity series.

Magnesium (Mg) is above lead (Pb) in the activity series, so the reaction will take place.

#"Mg"+"PbCl"_2"##rarr##"MgCl"_2"+Pb"#

http://biochemhelp.com/activity-series-of-metals-and-non-metals.html