On placing a piece of zinc metal in a solution of mercuric chloride, it acquires a shining silvery surface but when it is placed in a solution of magnesium sulphate, no change is observed. Explain.

Open in App

Solution

Zinc is more reactive than mercury. Hence, it displaces mercury from mercuric chloride solution. This mercury deposits on the zinc metal thus acquiring a shining silvery surface.
$Z n + H g C l_{2} \to Z n C l_{2} + H g$
No change is observed when zinc metal is placed in magnesium sulphate solution as zinc cannot displace magnesium from magnesium sulphate solution.

Suggest Corrections

Similar questions

A cleaned aluminium foil was placed in an aqueous solution of zinc sulphate. When the aluminium foil was taken out of the zinc sulphate solution after 15 minutes, its surface was found to be coated with a silvery grey deposit. From the above observation, it can be concluded that:

What happens when a piece of copper metal is placed in iron sulphate solution?

Q. When a cell is placed in 0.5M concentrated sugar solution, there is no change in its volume. But the same cell is placed in 0.5M concentrated solution of sodium chloride there will be

Q. (a) What happens when a piece of iron metal is placed in copper sulphate solution? Name the type of reaction involved.
(b) Write balanced chemical equation with state symbols for the following reaction:
Barium chloride solution reacts with sodium sulphate solution to give insoluble barium sulphate and a solution of sodium chloride.

Q. When a cell is placed in 0.5 M concentrated solution of sugar, there is no change it its volume. But if the same cell is placed in 0.5 M concentrated solution of sodium chloride there will be

Join BYJU'S Learning Program