What do you observe when iron sulfate is added to copper?

When iron sulfate is added to copper, no reaction will occur. We can predict whether a single replacement reaction will occur by looking at the metal activity series.

The metal activity series is a list of metals from the most reactive metal to the least reactive metal. In order for a single replacement reaction to occur, the individual metal element must be higher on the activity series than the metal in the compound that it is trying to replace.

Part of the metal activity series is shown below:

  Iron (Fe)

  Cobalt (Co)

  Nickel (Ni)

  Tin (Sn)

  Lead (Pb)

  Copper (Cu)

Let's look at the situation involving copper and iron sulfate:

   Cu + `~FeSO_4` ->

In order for this reaction to occur, Cu would need to be higher on the activity series than Fe. Instead, Fe is higher on the series than Cu. The reaction will not occur because Cu is not reactive enough to replace Fe in the compound.