A Student-Designed Activity Series Lab That Actually Works
- Brennan Koch
- 7 minutes ago
- 5 min read
Students have a hard time learning to determine if single displacement reactions will occur. In my class, they have not yet seen an activity series. This year, I gave them a short simple lab, and they had to design their own! Across all my periods, every lab group was able to design an activity series that matches the reality. In one block period, their understanding of single displacement reactions went from zero to 100! Here is the simple lab and activity that I used to do it. Check out the quick summary, or scroll down for a full description.
Activity Series Lab — Quick Summary
Topic: Single Displacement Reactions
Grade Level: High School Chemistry
Time Required: One 90-minute block (or two 45-minute periods)
Core Concept: Activity Series & Single Displacement Reactions
What Students Do
Observe a copper–silver nitrate demo
Design and run a single displacement reaction lab
Collect reaction vs. no-reaction data
Use logic to construct their own activity series
Why It Works
Students discover the activity series instead of memorizing it
The lab emphasizes electron transfer, not pattern-matching
Every group successfully builds a correct activity series
Works even before formally teaching the activity series
Materials Needed
24-well plates
0.1 M metal nitrate solutions (Ag, Cu, Zn, Pb, Mg)
Small pieces of corresponding metals (excluding silver)
Key Outcome
Students go from guessing reaction outcomes to confidently predicting single displacement reactions using an activity series they created themselves.
Step 1: Introducing Single Displacement Reactions with a Visual Demo
At the beginning of the period, I start a demo. I put a penny in a beaker and cover it with 0.1M silver nitrate. Then I write the equation on the board. If a reaction were to take place, what would happen? At this point, my students have been introduced to the idea of the “chemical dance” which is an anthropomorphic metaphor to help kids predict reactions.
Many of you do the same.
At the dance, a couple is together (silver nitrate) and a single also comes in. At the dance, the couple breaks up. Enter the tall dark and handsome single (copper). At the end of the dance, poor silver has been kicked out and copper is forming a bond with nitrate. As the students analyze the equation, I track what has happened to electrons with the metals. Silver has gained electrons and copper has lost.
Step 2: Setting Up the Activity Series Framework
The top of the board I label as “Most likely to lose electrons = hottest”. Yes, I carry the metaphor through the lab as it is a sticky mental picture. In our world, the girl (nitrate) would never ditch silver and go with copper unless copper was hotter! The bottom of the board is labeled “Most likely to gain electrons = ugly”. At this point, the demo has started reacting. I bring up a student to report to the class what they see in the beaker. The penny has been covered with silver needles. We determine that a reaction has taken place. So as a class, we place copper and silver on the activity series. Copper must be above silver.
Step 3: Challenging Students to Design Their Own Activity Series
Now the challenge is offered to the class. They have to fill in the rest of the activity series with Mg, Zn, and Pb. I give them a second to talk to their partner and figure out what they need to do to accomplish that goal. They realize they need to react all the different possibilities. I draw a simple lab map on the board showing them how we will use a 24-well plate, put 1 mL of 0.1M solution in the well along with a single piece of metal. They lay out their plate with labels and then head into the lab.
Step 4: Testing Every Possible Single Displacement Reaction
The students are given access to nitrate solutions of all the metals (Ag, Cu, Zn, Pb, and Mg) as well as small pieces of the metal. In their grid, they set up all the reactions. Some of the reactions happen very quickly but some are slow. I recommend that they get all the reactions going, then take their bathroom break before gathering results. Their results are simple, yes or no. Either a reaction did happen or not.
I tell them that a couple of reactions are hard to see. I don’t tell them which ones it is, so they will look more intensely. For your information, the reaction between zinc and magnesium nitrate is very challenging to see. I go around the room and find a group that will be able to see a little bit of a reaction and take note of them to myself.
Step 5: Cleanup and Waste Disposal
After gathering their results, the students put all the waste into a waste beaker that is lined with aluminum foil. This will react out the lead and silver ions so that it can be filtered and thrown away. The lab portion of the class only takes about 30 minutes.
Step 5: Analyzing Data to Build the Activity Series
Once all the groups are cleaned up, I copy a groups data onto the board. I choose one that got no reaction with both magnesium ion and zinc and zinc ion and magnesium. I have the class look for data that disagrees internally. They can find the error. If both reactions were no reaction, that is like saying that magnesium is more likely to lose electrons and zinc is too. Those are contradictory.
This is where I can leverage the data of the one group I found that got a good result. I tell the groups to break the tie with the data from their classmates. Now they can go about figuring out the puzzle of the activity series. I was surprised how effective they were at it! Once they got the ball rolling on their logic, they very quickly created an accurate activity series. I have all the groups write theirs on the board. This year, every group did it perfectly.
Step 6: Extending the Activity Series Using Logic
After they have their activity series, I introduce the idea of placing acid on it. At this point, they have already used hydrochloric acid with zinc to produce hydrogen in prior labs. I leverage that idea and have them place locate what range H could be. Then I write some “no reaction” equations on the board (including lead and copper). This allows them to place H in the correct spot. Then I ask them to use real world experience to place gold on the list. Many can do this effectively.
Why This Activity Series Lab Works
That wraps up the block period! Within 90 minutes, they went from barely knowing the pattern within single displacement reactions to predicting outcomes based on an activity series that they produced. That is some fast growth with a simple lab.
If you are teaching reaction types, you need to download our free game, Reaction Time! It is a print and play game that helps students predict the outcomes of single and double displacement reactions by leveraging activity series and solubility. Enter your email on the popup and get it instantly for free!
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