The product of the reaction between zinc and sulfuric acid are zinc sulfate, hydrogen sulfide, and water. Balance the equation using electron-transfer method

Question

Please include the solution too, thank you :)

Answer 1

Hi Rafael Zeus L.,

First of all, under most conditions zinc will simply displace hydrogen, and generate zinc sulfate and hydrogen gas. But if you HAVE to account for the reduction as acting on the sulphur in the acid, it's going from (+6) to (-2) in formal valence. And the zinc is going from (0) to (+2). Think you can take it from there? It's just a matter of balancing the electrons transferred by cross-coefficients, and shuffling off enough H2O to account for leftover atoms.

One possible driver for this reaction: H2O is avidly absorbed by conc. H2SO4, at least until H2SO4.2H2O is formed. H2SO4 is pretty food at ripping water away, even where it doesn't exist yet -- as in H2SO4 + paper = char (carbon) + hydrated acid.

And one other thing -- you may find a catalytic bit of Cu(+2) useful to make the reaction zip. Zinc, like other active metals, forms a surface oxide layer which is comparatively inert.

-- Cheers, -- Mr. d.