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What is Reaction of Non-metals with Air?
It is the chemical process where non-metals combine with oxygen to form oxides .
- Non-metals burn in air to produce gaseous oxides .
- Non-metal oxides are acidic in nature .
- Non-metals do not react with water directly.
Activity 4.7: Burning Sulphur in Air (Page 7)
What you need:
- Powdered sulphur
- Deflagrating spoon
- Gas jar or glass tumbler
- Lid
- Water
- Acid-base indicator
What to do:
- Step 1: Take a small amount of powdered sulphur in a deflagrating spoon
- Step 2: Heat it on a flame, and as soon as the sulphur starts burning, introduce the deflagrating spoon into a gas jar or glass tumbler
- Step 3: Cover the gas jar or glass tumbler with a lid to ensure that the gas produced does not escape
- Step 4: Remove the lid after 3-4 minutes and take out the deflagrating spoon
- Step 5: Add a small quantity of water into the gas jar, quickly place the lid back and shake it so that the gas dissolves
- Step 6: Using an acid-base indicator, check whether the solution obtained after the addition of water to the gas jar is acidic or basic or neutral
Observations
What you see:
- Sulphur burns with a blue flame
- Gas is produced during burning
- Water dissolves the gas completely
- Acid-base indicator turns red showing acidic nature
Why this happens:
We have studied that
non-metals
react with
oxygen
to form
acidic oxides
. This is why
sulphur dioxide gas
forms
sulphurous acid
when dissolved in water.
- Sulphur + Oxygen → Sulphur dioxide
- Sulphur dioxide + Water → Sulphurous acid
Activity 4.8: Sulphur with Water (Page 7)
What you need:
- Sulphur powder
- Glass tumbler
- Water
What to do:
- Step 1: Take some sulphur powder in a glass tumbler
- Step 2: Add a small amount of water to it
Observations
What you see:
- No reaction occurs between sulphur and water
- Sulphur powder remains unchanged
- No gas or heat is produced
Why this happens:
We have studied that
non-metals
do
not react
with
water
directly. This is why
sulphur
shows
no change
when mixed with water.
- Non-metals are less reactive than metals
- Water cannot break the strong bonds in non-metals
