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Ch.4 - Reactions in Aqueous Solution
All textbooksBrown 14th EditionCh.4 - Reactions in Aqueous SolutionProblem 7
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Chapter 4, Problem 7

The labels have fallen off three bottles containing powdered samples of metals; one contains zinc, one contains lead, and the other contains platinum. You have three solutions at your disposal: 1 M sodium nitrate, 1 M nitric acid, and 1 M nickel nitrate. How could you use these solutions to determine the identities of each metal powder?

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Step 1: Understand the reactivity series of metals. Zinc is more reactive than nickel, lead is less reactive than nickel, and platinum is the least reactive of the three metals.
Step 2: Use 1 M nitric acid to test each metal. Nitric acid is a strong acid that can react with metals. Zinc will react vigorously with nitric acid, producing hydrogen gas and dissolving. Lead will react slowly, forming a protective layer of lead nitrate, while platinum will not react.
Step 3: Use 1 M nickel nitrate solution to test the remaining metals. Zinc, being more reactive than nickel, will displace nickel from nickel nitrate, forming zinc nitrate and nickel metal. Lead and platinum will not react with nickel nitrate as they are less reactive than nickel.
Step 4: Use 1 M sodium nitrate solution as a control. Sodium nitrate is a neutral salt and will not react with any of the metals, confirming that any observed reactions are due to the reactivity of the metals with the other solutions.
Step 5: Based on the reactions observed, identify the metals: the metal that reacts with nitric acid and nickel nitrate is zinc, the metal that reacts slowly with nitric acid is lead, and the metal that does not react with any solution is platinum.
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Textbook Question

The concept of chemical equilibrium is very important. Which one of the following statements is the most correct way to think about equilibrium? (a) If a system is at equilibrium, nothing is happening. (b) If a system is at equilibrium, the rate of the forward reaction is equal to the rate of the back reaction. (c) If a system is at equilibrium, the product concentration is changing over time.

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Textbook Question

You are presented with a white solid and told that due to careless labeling it is not clear if the substance is barium chloride, lead chloride, or zinc chloride. When you transfer the solid to a beaker and add water, the solid dissolves to give a clear solution. Next an Na2SO41aq2 solution is added and a white precipitate forms. What is the identity of the unknown white solid?

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Textbook Question

Which of the following ions will always be a spectator ion in a precipitation reaction? (a) Cl- (b) NO3- (c) NH4+ (d) S2- (e) SO42-

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Open Question
In each of the following pairs, indicate which has the higher concentration of Cl- ion: (a) 0.10 M AlCl3 solution or a 0.25 M LiCl solution (b) 150 mL of a 0.05 M MnCl3 solution or 200 mL of 0.10 M KCl solution (c) a 2.8 M HCl solution or a solution made by dissolving 23.5 g of KCl in water to make 100 mL of solution.
Open Question
You want to analyze a silver nitrate solution. What mass of NaCl is needed to precipitate Ag+ ions from 45.0 mL of 0.2500 M AgNO3 solution?
Textbook Question
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