Select the correct answer.

Using this activity chart, which reaction will happen when a piece of copper is placed in a lead nitrate solution?

\begin{tabular}{|l|l|}
\hline \multicolumn{2}{|l|}{ Activity series } \\
\hline [tex]$Pb$[/tex] & \\
\hline [tex]$Cu$[/tex] & \multirow{3}{*}{} \\
\hline
\end{tabular}

A. \(2 Cu + 3 Pb \left( NO_3 \right)_2 \rightarrow 3 Cu \left( NO_3 \right)_2 + 2 Pb\)

B. No reaction occurs.

C. \(2 Cu + 3 Pb \left( NO_3 \right)_2 \rightarrow 2 Cu \left( NO_3 \right)_2 + 3 Pb\)

D. \(3 Cu + 3 Pb \left( NO_3 \right)_2 \rightarrow 3 Cu \left( NO_3 \right)_2 + 3 Pb\)

E. The answer cannot be determined from the information given.



Answer :

To determine which reaction will occur when a piece of copper is placed in a lead nitrate solution, we need to refer to the activity series of metals. The activity series is a list of metals ranked by their reactivity.

Here is the given part of the activity series:
[tex]\[ \begin{tabular}{|l|l|} \hline \multicolumn{2}{|l|}{Activity series} \\ \hline Pb & \\ \hline Cu & \multirow{3}{*}{} \\ \hline \end{tabular} \][/tex]

In the activity series, metals that are higher up are more reactive than those below them. A more reactive metal can displace a less reactive metal from its compound in a single replacement reaction.

According to the activity series provided:
- Lead (Pb) is above Copper (Cu).

This means that lead is more reactive than copper. For a reaction to occur, the metal that is being added must be more reactive than the metal in the compound. Since copper is less reactive than lead, it cannot displace lead from lead nitrate.

Thus:
- When a piece of copper (Cu) is placed in a lead nitrate (\(Pb(NO_3)_2\)) solution, no reaction will occur because copper is not reactive enough to displace lead from its compound.

Therefore, the correct answer is:
B. No reaction occurs.

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