Question

Write the balanced equation for a reaction between aqueous nitric acid (HNO3) and solid lithium metal (this is a single replacement reaction)

Answer 1

Answer: The equation is given below.

Explanation:

Single replacement reactions are the chemical reactions in which more reactive metal displaces a less reactive metal from its chemical reaction. General equation for these reactions is given by the equation:

$A+BC\rightarrow AC+B$

Metal A is more reactive than metal B.

The reactivity of metals is judged with the help of reactivity series. In this series, the metals lying above are more reactive than the metals which lie below in the series.

For the reaction of solid lithium metal and nitric acid, the equation follows:

$3Li(s)+4HNO_3(aq.)\rightarrow 3LiNO_3(aq.)+2H_2O(l)+NO(g)$

This is a type of single replacement reaction because Lithium (more reactive metal) is replacing Hydrogen (less reactive metal) from the chemical reaction.