when metals and acids are combined, why does it produce bubbles?

Question

when metals and acids are combined, why does it produce bubbles?

In: 3

Answer 1

Acids are proton donors, or also known as hydrogen. So take a simple acid like hydrochloric acid, it has one part hydrogen and one part chlorine. When you introduce it to a metal the chlorine is more attracted to the metal than the hydrogen. For example if you have sodium you’ll get sodium chloride, or table salt. But that hydrogen has to go somewhere, so it rebonds with itself so it is stable and gasses off, those are the bubbles you see. But be careful, they aren’t regular bubbles, they are flammable.