Which metal will react spontaneously with Cu^2+(aq) at 25 degree celcius? between Ag, Au, Mg, and hg?

Here is a link to the activity series of metals and their ions.

Any metal will displace any metal ION BELOW it in the series. http://www.files.chem.vt.edu/RVGS/ACT/notes/activity_series.html

To determine which metal will react spontaneously with Cu^2+(aq) at 25 degrees Celsius, we need to consider the reduction potentials of the metals. Reduction potential is a measure of the tendency of a species to gain electrons (i.e., undergo reduction) in a reaction.

The more positive the reduction potential of a metal, the greater its tendency to undergo reduction. A spontaneous reaction occurs when there is a potential difference, or voltage, between two species. In this case, we are looking for a metal with a more positive reduction potential than Cu^2+(aq).

Here are the reduction potentials (in volts) for the given metals:
- Ag (silver): +0.80 V
- Au (gold): +1.50 V
- Mg (magnesium): -2.37 V
- Hg (mercury): +0.85 V

The more positive reduction potential indicates a greater likelihood of reduction.

Comparing the reduction potentials, both Ag and Hg have more positive potentials than Cu^2+(aq). However, Ag has a higher reduction potential than Hg (+0.80 V vs. +0.85 V), which means Ag has a stronger tendency to undergo reduction than Hg. Therefore, the metal that will react spontaneously with Cu^2+(aq) at 25 degrees Celsius is Ag (silver).