Question

2g of silver chloride is taken in a china dish and the china dish is placed in sunlight for some time. What will be your observation in this case? Write the chemical reaction involved in the form of a balanced chemical equation. Identify the type of chemical reaction.

Answer 1

Decomposition Reaction: It is the breaking up of a substance into simpler compounds and it may be brought about by the application of heat, light, electricity, etc.

A decomposition reaction brought by light is known as photodecomposition.

When silver chloride is exposed to sunlight, being light-sensitive it undergoes a chemical reaction. The white sodium chloride turns grey.

The chemical reaction is as:

$\underset{\mathrm{Silver}\mathrm{Chloride}}{2\mathrm{AgCl}\left(\mathrm{s}\right)}\stackrel{\mathrm{Light}}{\to }2\underset{\mathrm{Silver}}{\mathrm{Ag}\left(\mathrm{s}\right)}+\underset{\mathrm{Chlorine}}{{\mathrm{Cl}}_2\left(\mathrm{g}\right)}$

This is a decomposition chemical reaction.