a student has a test tube of pure copper and decides to add some other chemicals to it, (II) sulfate, CuSO4, solution before, during, and after the addition of iron, Fe, shavings. does a physical or chemical change happen?
A chemical change occurs when iron shavings are added to the copper sulfate solution. This is because a chemical reaction takes place between the iron and the copper sulfate, resulting in the formation of copper metal and iron sulfate. This reaction is represented by the following chemical equation:
Fe + CuSO4 -> Cu + FeSO4
Therefore, the addition of iron shavings to the copper sulfate solution results in a chemical change.
does the iron dissolve?
Yes, when the iron shavings are added to the copper sulfate solution, the iron dissolves and reacts with the copper sulfate. The reaction between iron and copper sulfate results in the formation of iron sulfate, while copper metal is deposited as a solid on the surface of the iron. So, while the iron dissolves as it reacts with the copper sulfate, it also undergoes a chemical change in the process.
does the color change?
Yes, the color change does occur during the chemical reaction between iron shavings and copper sulfate solution. Initially, the copper sulfate solution has a blue color due to the presence of Cu(II) ions. As the iron reacts with the copper sulfate, the color of the solution changes to greenish as the copper ions are reduced to solid copper metal. Ultimately, the reaction leads to the formation of iron sulfate and solid copper, resulting in a change in color from blue to greenish in the solution.
in the diagram it doesnt look like the iron dissolved, why?
The iron shavings may not appear to dissolve in the copper sulfate solution in the diagram because the iron shavings are not molecularly dissolved like a soluble substance would be. Instead, the iron undergoes a chemical reaction with the copper sulfate, resulting in a precipitation reaction where the solid copper metal forms on the surface of the iron shavings. This can give the appearance that the iron is not actually dissolving in the solution, but rather undergoing a chemical reaction with the copper sulfate.
