A wire connects a piece of aluminum suspended in an aqueous solution of aluminum nitrate in a beaker to a piece of iron suspended in an aqueous solution of iron (II) nitrate in another beaker.
shocking!
Write the balanced chemical equation for this voltaic cell. sorry forgot this
see your previous post.
To understand the behavior of the wire connecting the two metal pieces, we need to consider the concept of electrochemical cells. In this case, the setup describes a galvanic cell, commonly known as a battery.
When two different metals are immersed in their respective aqueous solutions, they can undergo a redox reaction. This reaction involves the transfer of electrons from one metal to the other through the wire, creating an electric current.
The aluminum piece, being more reactive, will act as the anode (negatively charged electrode) and undergo oxidation, releasing electrons:
2Al(s) → 2Al³⁺(aq) + 6e⁻
On the other hand, the iron piece, being less reactive, will act as the cathode (positively charged electrode) and undergo reduction, accepting the electrons:
Fe²⁺(aq) + 2e⁻ → Fe(s)
Now, the electric current in the wire flows from the anode (aluminum) to the cathode (iron) due to the movement of electrons. This flow of charge balances the redox reactions occurring at each metal electrode. The salt solutions (aluminum nitrate and iron (II) nitrate) act as an electrolyte, allowing the movement of ions to maintain charge neutrality.
To summarize, the wire connecting the pieces of aluminum and iron in their respective electrolyte solutions facilitates the transfer of electrons from the more reactive metal (aluminum) to the less reactive metal (iron), generating an electric current.