Question

Automobile bodies contain significant amounts of iron. The iron is protected by the addition of zinc. This is called galvanization, the protection of one metal the sacrifice of a more reactive metal. Write the balanced chemical equations using smallest whole number coefficients for the following processes. Do NOT include states-of-matter: a) The corrosion that is prevented by galvanization.

Answer 1

Answer: The balanced chemical equation is written below.

Explanation:

Galvanization is defined as the process in which a protective layer of zinc is applied to iron or steel to prevent the metal from rusting.

Zinc prevents the oxidation of iron and acts as a reducing agent in the process.

The half reaction for the process follows:

Oxidation half reaction:  $Zn\rightarrow Zn^{2+}+2e^-$

Reduction half reaction:  $Fe^{2+}+2e^-\rightarrow Fe$

Net chemical equation:  $Zn+Fe^{2+}\rightarrow Zn^{2+}+Fe$

Hence, the balanced chemical equation is written above.