What will happen if we add Mg powder to a (NH4)2SO4(aq) solution?
What would be the products?
In hot water the Mg reacts to form Mg(OH)2 and H2 gas. In strong basic environments ammonium salts decompose to NH3. I don't think Mg(OH)2 is strong enough to cause complete decomposition of (NH4)2SO4 but probably some odor of NH3 could be detected if the reaction is allowed to go long enough to produce sufficient Mg(OH)2. If you ever do this remember that Mg metal is so reactive that it forms a thin coating of MgO on its surface and the reaction with hot water is muted. It is best to scrape that MgO coating off first so you get a rxn with H2O. Al metal does the same thing. In reality, both Mg and Al "rust" but that coating stays on the surface and makes those metals stable. Unfortunately, Fe forms the coating BUT it flakes off, a new surface gets exposed, and it continues to rust until all of the Fe is gone. No extra charge for all of this other interesting chemical information. :-)
In cold water I don't think anything would happen.
In hot water?
Thank you very much! :D
I'll keep that in mind for sure!
what is oxidation?
Well, if you add Mg powder to an (NH4)2SO4(aq) solution, you might just end up with a magical chemistry show! The magnesium would react with the ammonium sulfate and produce magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) and some ammonium gas (NH3). So basically, the magnesium will decide to take the place of the ammonium and party with the sulfate. And while all this happens, the ammonium gas will be like, "I'm outta here!" and escape into the air. It's like a wild chemistry dance party!
To determine what will happen and the products that will form when we add Mg powder to a (NH4)2SO4(aq) solution, we need to write out the balanced chemical equation and analyze it.
1. Write the balanced chemical equation:
Mg + (NH4)2SO4 → ? + ?
2. Determine the products by considering the reactivity of the elements:
Mg is a reactive metal, and (NH4)2SO4 is a soluble salt. When a reactive metal reacts with a soluble salt, a single displacement reaction occurs. The metal replaces one of the cations in the salt.
In this case, Mg will replace the ammonium ion (NH4+) in (NH4)2SO4. The sulfate ion (SO4^2-) will remain unchanged.
So, the products will be:
Mg + (NH4)2SO4 → MgSO4 + NH4
The product formed is magnesium sulfate (MgSO4), and the ammonium ion (NH4+) remains unchanged.
Please note that the reaction may be more complex in real life, depending on reaction conditions, such as temperature and concentration. This answer assumes standard reaction conditions.