Question

Examine each of the following pairs of potential reactants. Decide whether or not a reaction would occur. If a reaction occurs, write the balanced equation. If no reaction occurs, write NR. Rubidium and lithium chloride?

Answer 1

When rubidium, which is more reactive, is combined with lithium chloride, a single-replacement reaction occurs to form rubidium chloride and elemental lithium. The balanced chemical equation is 2 Rb (s) + 2 LiCl (aq) → 2 Li (s) + 2 RbCl (aq).

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine if rubidium will react with lithium chloride, we can use the activity series of metals. The activity series is a list of metals arranged in order of decreasing reactivity, which helps to predict whether a single-replacement reaction will occur. Rubidium is more reactive compared to lithium. Therefore, rubidium can displace lithium from its compound. The balanced chemical equation for the reaction would be:

2 Rb (s) + 2 LiCl (aq) → 2 Li (s) + 2 RbCl (aq)

This is a balanced equation for a single-replacement reaction where rubidium replaces lithium in lithium chloride, forming rubidium chloride and elemental lithium. If, according to the activity series, rubidium were less reactive than lithium, then we would write 'NR' to indicate that no reaction occurs.