Zn is less active than Mg. Write the equations describing what occurs when ou mix: a)Zn with 0.5M magnesium chloride, MgCl2 b)Mg with 0.5M ZnCl2
Mg + ZnCl2 ==> Zn + MgCl2
Zn + MgCl2 ==> no reaction.
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a) When you mix Zn with 0.5M magnesium chloride (MgCl2), a displacement reaction will occur. The less active Zn will displace Mg from the compound, resulting in the formation of zinc chloride (ZnCl2) and magnesium metal (Mg). The balanced equation for this reaction is:
Zn(s) + MgCl2(aq) → ZnCl2(aq) + Mg(s)
b) When you mix Mg with 0.5M zinc chloride (ZnCl2), no reaction will occur. This is because Mg is more active than Zn, so it cannot displace Zn from the compound. Therefore, the equation would be:
Mg(s) + ZnCl2(aq) → No Reaction
To determine the reactions that occur when you mix Zn with 0.5M magnesium chloride (MgCl2) and Mg with 0.5M ZnCl2, we need to compare the reactivity or activity series of metals.
The reactivity series, also known as the activity series, is a list of metals arranged in order of their reactivity. In this series, metals are arranged from the most reactive to the least reactive. The higher a metal is in the activity series, the more reactive it is.
In this case, we know that Zn is less active/reactive than Mg. So, when we mix Zn with magnesium chloride, the Zn won't displace Mg from its compound. However, when we mix Mg with zinc chloride, the more reactive Mg will displace Zn from its compound.
a) When you mix Zn with 0.5M magnesium chloride (MgCl2):
Zn(s) + MgCl2(aq) → No reaction occurs
b) When you mix Mg with 0.5M zinc chloride (ZnCl2):
Mg(s) + ZnCl2(aq) → MgCl2(aq) + Zn(s)
In this case, a single displacement reaction occurs. Magnesium (Mg) reacts with zinc chloride (ZnCl2), displacing the zinc (Zn) from its compound and forming magnesium chloride (MgCl2) while producing solid zinc (Zn) as a product.
Remember, you can determine these reactions by comparing the position of metals in the reactivity/activity series. The metal higher in the series displaces the metal lower in the series from its compound in single displacement reactions.