Some metal oxides, such as \(\mathrm{Sc}_{2} \mathrm{O}_{3},\) do not react with pure water, but they do react when the solution becomes either acidic or basic. Do you expect \(\mathrm{Sc}_{2} \mathrm{O}_{3}\) to react when the solution becomes acidic or when it becomes basic? Write a balinced chemical equation to support vour answer.

Short Answer

Expert verified
Sc2O3, scandium oxide, is an amphoteric metal oxide and reacts in both acidic and basic solutions. In an acidic solution like HCl, the reaction is \(Sc_2O_3 + 6HCl \to 2ScCl_3 + 3H_2O\), forming scandium chloride and water. In a basic solution like NaOH, the reaction is \(Sc_2O_3 + 6NaOH \to 2Na_3ScO_3 + 3H_2O\), forming sodium scandate and water.

Step by step solution

01

Identify the type of oxide

Sc2O3 is a metal oxide, specifically for scandium (Sc). Metal oxides typically are basic or amphoteric. For scandium, which is a periodic table group 3 metal, the oxide is expected to be amphoteric.
02

Determine the type of reaction in each type of solution

Since scandium oxide (Sc2O3) is amphoteric, it can react with both acids and bases. When an amphoteric oxide reacts with an acid, the products are a salt and water. In contrast, when an amphoteric oxide reacts with a base, the products are also a salt and water.
03

Write the balanced chemical equation for reaction with an acid

Let's use HCl as our acidic solution for the example. The balanced equation would be: \(Sc_2O_3 + 6HCl \to 2ScCl_3 + 3H_2O\) In this case, Sc2O3 reacts with hydrochloric acid (HCl) to form scandium chloride (ScCl3) and water.
04

Write the balanced chemical equation for reaction with a base

Let's use NaOH as our basic solution for the example. The balanced equation would be: \(Sc_2O_3 + 6NaOH \to 2Na_3ScO_3 + 3H_2O\) In this case, Sc2O3 reacts with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) to form sodium scandate (Na3ScO3) and water.
05

Conclusion

Sc2O3, scandium oxide, is an amphoteric metal oxide which means it reacts in both acidic and basic solutions. In an acidic solution, such as with HCl, it forms scandium chloride and water. In a basic solution, such as with NaOH, it forms sodium scandate and water.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

(a) If the core electrons were totally effective at screening the valence electrons and the valence electrons provided no screening for each other, what would be the effective nuclear charge acting on the \(3 s\) and \(3 p\) valence electrons in P? (b) Repeat these calculations using Slater's rules. (c) Detailed calculations indicate that the effective nuclear charge is \(5.6+\) for the \(3 s\) electrons and \(4.9+\) for the \(3 p\) electrons. Why are the values for the \(3 s\) and \(3 p\) electrons different? (d) If you remove a single electron from a Patom, which orbital will it come from?

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In the chemical process called electron transfer, an electron is transferred from one atom or molecule to another. (We will talk about electron transfer extensively in Chapter 20.) A simple electron transfer reaction is $$ \mathrm{A}(g)+\mathrm{A}(g) \longrightarrow \mathrm{A}^{+}(g)+\mathrm{A}^{-}(g) $$ In terms of the ionization energy and electron affinity of atom A, what is the energy change for this reaction? For a representative nonmetal such as chlorine, is this process exothermic? For a representative metal such as sodium, is this process exothermic?

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