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Predicting Whether a Metal Will Dissolve in Acid
- Most acids dissolve metals by the reduction of H+ ions to hydrogen gas and the corresponding oxidation of the metal to its ion.
- Metals above H2 on the activity series dissolve in acids, while metals below H2 do not dissolve in acids.
- An important exception to this rule is nitric acid, which, through a different reduction half-reaction, dissolves some of the metals below H2 in the activity series.