Question

Observe the substances in the test tubes for 15 minutes. In the table, describe what’s happening in each test tube, including any evidence of a chemical reaction. Evidence of chemical reactions can include change in color, change in smell, change in temperature, formation of a solid, or formation of bubbles. If there’s no observable change in a test tube, write "no reaction."

Test Tube Chemicals Reaction
1 iron and copper(II) sulfate
2 copper and hydrochloric acid
3 zinc and iron(III) nitrate
4 zinc and magnesium sulfate
5 zinc and hydrochloric acid
6 iron and hydrochloric acid

Answer 1

To determine if a chemical reaction has occurred in the test tubes with various chemicals, students must look for signs like color changes, gas production, formation of a solid, or temperature changes.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student's question pertains to the observation of potential chemical reactions across several test tubes containing different combinations of chemicals. To ascertain whether a chemical reaction has taken place, we look for specific indicators like changes in color or temperature, the formation of a solid or a gas indicated by bubbles, and changes in smell or other physical properties such as magnetism.

The substances given are iron and copper(II) sulfate, copper and hydrochloric acid, zinc and iron(III) nitrate, zinc and magnesium sulfate, zinc and hydrochloric acid, and iron and hydrochloric acid. When observing these mixtures, a reaction such as the one between zinc and hydrochloric acid will generate heat due to energy release, while a mixture such as copper and hydrochloric acid might not display any visible changes, suggesting no reaction has occurred.

It is important to understand that any evidence of a reaction, such as a temperature increase or the presence of a gas that is not boiling, can indicate that new substances are formed as the result of chemical change.