why does zinc decompose when reacted with copper sulphate?

When zinc reacts with copper sulfate, it undergoes a displacement reaction called a single displacement reaction. In this type of reaction, one element replaces another element in a compound. The reaction can be represented by the following chemical equation:

Zn + CuSO4 → ZnSO4 + Cu

In this reaction, the zinc (Zn) displaces the copper (Cu) from copper sulfate (CuSO4) to form zinc sulfate (ZnSO4) and copper.

Now, to understand why zinc decomposes when reacted with copper sulfate, we need to consider the reactivity series of metals. The reactivity series is a list of metals arranged in order of their reactivity, with the most reactive metal at the top and the least reactive metal at the bottom.

In the reactivity series, zinc is more reactive than copper. This means that zinc has a higher tendency to lose electrons and form positive ions compared to copper.

When zinc reacts with copper sulfate, zinc atoms lose two electrons each and form zinc ions (Zn2+). These zinc ions then combine with sulfate ions (SO4^2-) to form zinc sulfate. On the other hand, copper ions (Cu2+) are formed as copper sulfate loses copper atoms.

The reason for this displacement reaction is that zinc is more reactive than copper. Zinc readily donates electrons, allowing it to displace copper from copper sulfate, which is a less reactive metal.

In conclusion, zinc decomposes when reacted with copper sulfate because it is more reactive than copper. This allows zinc to displace copper from the copper sulfate compound, forming zinc sulfate and copper.