A student carries out an investigation to compare the reactivities of four metals: zinc, copper, nickel, and Y.
She adds strips of nickel to the aqueous solutions of the nitrates of each metal.
After a few minutes, she removes the strips of nickel and examines them.
The first table shows her results:
| Solution | Result |
|---|---|
| zinc nitrate | no change |
| copper(II) nitrate | red-brown coating on nickel |
| nickel(II) nitrate | no change |
| nitrate of metal Y | silvery coating on nickel |
Name the substance that causes the red-brown coating on the nickel in the copper(II) nitrate solution.
State why there is no change in the experiment with nickel(II) nitrate solution.
The student repeats the experiment using strips of metal Y instead of nickel. The table below shows her results:
| Solution | Result |
|---|---|
| zinc nitrate | no change |
| copper(II) nitrate | red-brown coating on Y |
| nickel(II) nitrate | no change |
| nitrate of metal Y | no change |
Using information from both tables, place the metals zinc, copper, nickel, and Y in order of decreasing reactivity (from most reactive to least reactive).
Magnesium reacts with an aqueous solution of iron(II) sulfate. The reaction can be represented by the ionic equation:
Mg(s)+Fe2+(aq)→Mg2+(aq)+Fe(s) \text{Mg(s)} + \text{Fe}^{2+}\text{(aq)} \rightarrow \text{Mg}^{2+}\text{(aq)} + \text{Fe(s)} Mg(s)+Fe2+(aq)→Mg2+(aq)+Fe(s)State why this reaction is described as a redox reaction.
Explain, in terms of electrons, which species is behaving as a reducing agent in this reaction.
