Question

4. A general description of the single replacement reaction in this exper- iment is: metal + salt in solution → "new" metal + "new" salt solution. Give a balanced equation for another example of this type of single re- placement reaction.​

Answer 1

In single replacement reactions, one element displaces another in a compound, producing a new element and a new compound. For example, zinc metal reacting with copper(II) sulfate solution forms zinc sulfate and copper metal, represented by the balanced equation Zn(s) + CuSO4(aq) → ZnSO4(aq) + Cu(s).

Step-by-step explanation:

A single replacement reaction is a type of chemical reaction where one element displaces another in a compound, forming a new element and a new compound. As an example, when a strip of zinc metal is placed in a solution of copper(II) sulfate, zinc replaces copper in the solution, and copper metal is precipitated. The balanced equation for this reaction is:

Zn(s) + CuSO4(aq) → ZnSO4(aq) + Cu(s)

In this reaction, solid zinc (Zn) reacts with aqueous copper(II) sulfate (CuSO4) to produce aqueous zinc sulfate (ZnSO4) and solid copper (Cu). This process is a redox reaction, where zinc is oxidized and copper is reduced.