Which one of the following species will react with Sn at standard state conditions?
a) S
b) Ag+
c) Cu
d) Zn2+
What does it mean by standard state conditions? And what do I have to look at to determine it? Would it be Zn2+?
Standard state means 25 C temperature and 1M concentrations for solutions.
You want to look up the standard reduction potentials and see if Sn (being oxidized) produces a positive Ecell for any of the other species acting as reducers.
Standard state conditions refer to the state of a substance at a specific set of conditions that are commonly used as a reference for comparing the properties of different substances. These conditions include a temperature of 25 degrees Celsius (298 Kelvin) and a pressure of 1 atmosphere (101.325 kilopascals).
To determine whether a species will react with Sn (tin) at standard state conditions, you 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.
In this case, the reactivity series is:
Potassium (K) > Sodium (Na) > Calcium (Ca) > Magnesium (Mg) > Aluminum (Al) > Zinc (Zn) > Iron (Fe) > Tin (Sn) > Lead (Pb) > (Hydrogen) (H) > Copper (Cu) > Silver (Ag) > Gold (Au)
When tin (Sn) reacts with a metal listed above it in the reactivity series, it will displace that metal from its compound and form a new compound. Therefore, any metal listed above tin (Sn) in the reactivity series will react with it.
Looking at the given options, we find that of the species listed:
a) S (sulfur) is a non-metal, so it does not react with tin.
b) Ag+ (silver ion) is a metal ion, and silver (Ag) is below tin (Sn) in the reactivity series, meaning tin will not react with silver.
c) Cu (copper) is below tin (Sn) in the reactivity series, so tin will react with copper.
d) Zn2+ (zinc ion) is a metal ion, and zinc (Zn) is below tin (Sn) in the reactivity series, meaning tin will not react with zinc.
Therefore, the correct answer is option c) Cu (copper).