Question

The solid on the copper square after the experiment is called copper acetate. Write a word equation to represent what happened to substances in the experiment. Label the reactants and products in the equation. Does acid rain make new substances? Construct an argument that uses data from this investigation as evidence for your claim.

Answer 1

Answer:

See explanation

Explanation:

The word equation for the formation of copper acetate is as follows;

copper + vinegar →  copper II oxide → copper acetate

Copper and vinegar  are reactants while the copper acetate is the product

Note that vinegar is a weak solution of acetic acid. Pure copper does not react with acetic acid (copper is less than hydrogen in the electrochemical series); however, a reactive oxide layer is formed upon exposure to air. This layer interacts with non-oxidizing acids to give green copper(II) compounds (DeMeo, 1997; Tétreault et al., 2003), a typical example of such compounds is the copper(II) acetate formed in the word equation above.

Acid rain forms new substances because it is capable of interacting chemically with surfaces. When substances are exposed to acid rain, they dissolve in water if they are soluble in acids to form new substances.