Question

What happens when a rod of zinc metal is dipped into a solution of copper sulphate? Give chemical equation of the reaction involved.

Answer 1

When a zinc rod is dipped in a solution of copper sulphate, zinc, being a more reactive metal than copper, will displace copper from the copper sulphate solution. The blue colour of the copper sulphate solution gradually fades due to the formation of colourless zinc sulphate. The red-brown colour of copper will be deposited on the zinc rod.

\[\ce{\underset{(Blue solution)}{\underset{Copper sulphate}{CuSO4_{(aq)}}} + \underset{(Silvery white)}{\underset{Zinc}{Zn_{(s)}}} -> \underset{(Colourless solution)}{\underset{Zinc sulphate}{ZnSO4_{(aq)}}} + \underset{(Red-brown)}{\underset{Copper}{Cu_{(s)}}}}\]