Final answer:
The balanced chemical equation for the reaction between copper (Cu) and nitric acid (HNO₃) is 3Cu(s) + 6H⁺ (aq) + 2HNO₃(aq) → 3Cu²⁺ (aq) + 2NO(g) + 4H₂O(l).
Step-by-step explanation:
The balanced chemical equation for the reaction between copper (Cu) and nitric acid (HNO₃) is:
3Cu(s) + 6H⁺ (aq) + 2HNO₃(aq) → 3Cu²⁺ (aq) + 2NO(g) + 4H₂O(l)
In this reaction, 2.73 g of copper (Cu) dissolves in a certain amount of nitric acid (HNO₃). The molar mass of copper is 63.55 g/mol. To determine the number of moles of copper that dissolves, we need to convert the mass of copper to moles:
Number of moles of Cu = mass / molar mass = 2.73 g / 63.55 g/mol = 0.0429 mol
Therefore, 0.0429 mol of Cu reacts with 6 mol of H⁺ in the balanced equation.
The question concerns a chemical reaction where solid copper (Cu) is dissolved in nitric acid (HNO3), resulting in the formation of aqueous copper(II) ions (Cu2+), nitrogen monoxide gas (NO), and water (H2O). The process is a redox reaction, and the balanced equation is:
3Cu(s) + 8HNO3(aq) → 3Cu2+(aq) + 2NO(g) + 4H2O(l) + 6NO3−(aq)
The stoichiometry of the reaction indicates that three Cu atoms produce three moles of Cu2+. If we start with 55.7 moles of H+, we can determine the moles of Cu2+ formed using the molar ratios from the balanced equation; for every 8 moles H+ reacted, 3 moles of Cu2+ are produced.