2) Suppose you have 5.00g of powdered magnesium metal, 1.00L of 2.00M potassium nitrate solution, and 1.00L of a 2.00M silver nitrate solution.
a. Which one of the solutions will react with the magnesium powder?
Well, I hope the solutions don't get into an argument over who gets to react with the magnesium powder first! But I've got some good news for you. Both the potassium nitrate solution and the silver nitrate solution have the potential to react with the magnesium powder. It's like a fierce competition between the two solutions! So, my friend, it's up to you to decide which lucky solution gets to react with the magnesium powder. May the best solution win!
To determine which solution will react with the magnesium powder, we need to consider the reactivity of each element and the solubility rules.
1. Start by writing the balanced equation for the potential reaction:
Mg(s) + 2AgNO3(aq) → Mg(NO3)2(aq) + 2Ag(s) (1)
Mg(s) + 2KNO3(aq) → Mg(NO3)2(aq) + 2K(s) (2)
2. Determine the solubility of the potential products. Based on solubility rules, both magnesium nitrate (Mg(NO3)2) and silver (Ag) are soluble, while potassium (K) is also soluble.
3. Consider the reactivity of each metal. Magnesium (Mg) is more reactive than silver (Ag) and potassium (K). This means that magnesium is more likely to react with a solution containing silver or potassium, forming the corresponding nitrates.
4. Therefore, based on the balanced equations and reactivity, we can see that both silver nitrate (AgNO3) and potassium nitrate (KNO3) solutions will react with the magnesium powder. However, the reaction with the silver nitrate solution will produce a solid silver precipitate (Ag), while the reaction with the potassium nitrate solution will produce a solid potassium precipitate (K).
In conclusion, both the silver nitrate and potassium nitrate solutions will react with the magnesium powder.