Posted by chrissy on Saturday, January 6, 2007 at 1:23pm.
In a lab expirement you add copper(II)nitrate to pure zinc. Write a balanced equation for this expirement and predict if a reaction will occur.
For Further Reading
Chemistry Equation - DrBob222, Saturday, January 6, 2007 at 2:00pm
I THINK Bob Pursley answered this question a day or so ago. Zinc is higher in the activity series than copper; therefore, Zn will replace copper ion. Zn goes into solution as Zn(II) and copper(II) comes out of solution to form Cu metal. Repost if there is something about this you don't understand.
Chemistry Equation - chrissy, Saturday, January 6, 2007 at 3:43pm
I know that a reaction will occur but can you tel me if this balanced equation is correct:
Cu^2N+Zn--->Zn^2+Cu
I'm horrible at chem equations!
Can someone please tell me if this is the correct balanced equation for this problem?!
You wrote a correct balanced IONIC equation. You have to add the nitrate to have a complete equation.
To determine if a reaction will occur when copper(II) nitrate is added to pure zinc, you need to consider the activity series of metals. The activity series is a list of metals arranged in order of their reactivity. A more reactive metal will displace a less reactive metal from its compound.
In this case, zinc is higher in the activity series than copper. Therefore, zinc will replace the copper ion in copper(II) nitrate.
To write a balanced equation for this reaction, we need to include the states of the reactants and products. Let's denote copper(II) nitrate as Cu(NO3)2 and zinc as Zn:
Cu(NO3)2(aq) + Zn(s) → Zn(NO3)2(aq) + Cu(s)
In this balanced equation, Cu(NO3)2(aq) represents copper(II) nitrate in aqueous solution, Zn(s) represents solid zinc, Zn(NO3)2(aq) represents zinc nitrate in aqueous solution, and Cu(s) represents solid copper.
Therefore, the correct balanced equation for this reaction is Cu(NO3)2(aq) + Zn(s) → Zn(NO3)2(aq) + Cu(s).
Remember, in order to have a complete equation, you should add the nitrate ions (NO3-) to both sides of the equation.