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Chapter 23: Problem 44

In the metallurgical extraction of silver and gold, an alloy of the two metals is often obtained. The alloy can be separated into Ag and Au either with concentrated \(\mathrm{HNO}_{3}\) or boiling concentrated \(\mathrm{H}_{2} \mathrm{SO}_{4},\) in a process called parting. Write chemical equations to show how these separations work.

Short Answer

Expert verified
1. Reaction of Ag and Au with Nitric Acid: \(3Ag + 4HNO3 -> 3AgNO3 + NO + 2H2O\) and \(Au + HNO3 -> Au + HNO3\). 2. Reaction of AgNO3 with Water: \(3AgNO3+ 3H2O -> 3Ag + 4NO + 6H2O\). 3. Reaction of Ag and Au with Sulphuric Acid: \(2Ag + H2SO4 -> Ag2SO4 +SO2 +2H2O\) and \(Au + H2SO4 -> Au + H2SO4\).

Step by step solution

01

Reaction of Ag and Au with Nitric Acid

When Ag and Au react with nitric acid, the nitric acid oxidizes Ag to Ag+ and Au remains unaffected due to its low reactivity. The reaction can be written as follows: \(3Ag + 4HNO_3 -> 3AgNO_3 + NO + 2H_2O\) and \(Au + HNO_3 -> Au + HNO_3\) (No reaction takes place)
02

Reaction of AgNO3 with Water

The silver nitrate formed in the first step will further react with water to form silver, nitric oxide and water. The reaction can be written as follows: \(3AgNO3+ 3H2O -> 3Ag + 4NO + 6H2O\)
03

Reaction of Ag and Au with Sulphuric Acid

When the alloy is reacted with hot concentrated sulphuric acid, the silver from the alloy reacts with the sulphuric acid to produce silver sulfate and SO2, while gold again remains unaffected. The reaction can be written as follows: \(2Ag + H2SO4 -> Ag2SO4 +SO2 +2H2O\) and \(Au + H2SO4 -> Au + H2SO4\) (No reaction takes place)

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Covalent bonding is involved in many transition metal compounds. Draw Lewis structures, showing any nonzero formal charges, for the following molecules or ions: (a) \(\mathrm{Hg}_{2}^{2+} ;\) (b) \(\mathrm{Mn}_{2} \mathrm{O}_{7} ;\) (c) \(\mathrm{OsO}_{4}\). [Hint: In (b), there is one \(\mathrm{Mn}-\mathrm{O}-\text { Mn linkage in the molecule. }\rfloor\)

What products are obtained when \(\mathrm{Mg}^{2+}(\mathrm{aq})\) and \(\mathrm{Cr}^{3+}(\mathrm{aq})\) are each treated with a limited amount of NaOH(aq)? With an excess of \(\mathrm{NaOH}(\) aq)? Why are the results different in these two cases?

In \(\mathrm{ZnO}\), the band gap between the valence and conduction bands is \(290 \mathrm{kJmol}^{-1}\), and in \(\mathrm{CdS}\) it is \(250 \mathrm{kJmol}^{-1} .\) Show that CdS absorbs some visible light but ZnO does not. Explain the observed colors: \(\mathrm{ZnO}\) is white and \(\mathrm{CdS}\) is yellow.

Explain why \(\mathrm{Zn}, \mathrm{Cd},\) and \(\mathrm{Hg}\) resemble the group 2 metals in some of their properties.

Why is the number of common oxidation states for the elements at the beginning and those at the end of the first transition series less than for elements in the middle of the series?
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