Testing for Hydrogen gas

Aim:
To show that hydrogen gas is produced when a metal reacts with acid.

Method:
1. Light your Bunsen burner.
2. Add your sample of metal to your test tube. Add 2 mL of acid.
3. Carefully invert the boiling tube above the test tube containing the metal and acid.
4. Hold the test tubes together for a few minutes, allowing time for the inverted boiling tube to fill with gas.
5. When you think the tube is full, your lab partner should light a wooden splint.
6. Carefully, but quickly, tilt the boiling tube full of gas upwards and insert the burning splint into the mouth of the test tube.

Observations:
When you insert the splint into the boiling tube it produced a high pitch noise and put the fire out.
I could tell a chemical reaction was occurring in the test tube because when you put the sample of metal (magnesium ribbon) in the hydrochloric acid it fizzed up and produced hydrogen.