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What are the products for the reaction?

Hi. I am just looking at some AEA paper and I haven't got a clue how to do the first question.Can someone help me out please?

Chemistry AEA 2005.pdf

Write equations for two reactions which illustrate the amphoteric nature of As4O6.
(2 marks)
(b) Write an equation for the formation of AsH3 by the reaction of As4O6 with zinc in the presence of hydrogen ions. (1 mark)

What are the products for the reaction and how are you suppose to know them since they are not mentioned in the passage at all?

Thank you
~charmaine~
Hi. I am just looking at some AEA paper and I haven't got a clue how to do the first question.Can someone help me out please?

Chemistry AEA 2005.pdf

Write equations for two reactions which illustrate the amphoteric nature of As4O6.
(2 marks)
(b) Write an equation for the formation of AsH3 by the reaction of As4O6 with zinc in the presence of hydrogen ions. (1 mark)

What are the products for the reaction and how are you suppose to know them since they are not mentioned in the passage at all?


a) Amphoteric means behaving as and reacting with both acids and bases. This gives you free rein to choose any acid, eg HCl, to react with the compound and since you know (or should know by now) that acid + base --> salt + water, you can construct an appropriate equation.
Similarly use a base of your choice, eg KOH and once again apply the same equation, acid + base --> salt + water.

In part b) you are told the product is AsH3 and the reactants are Zn + H ions (making hydrogen as a reducing agent) so the products will also include water.
Reply 2
charco
a) Amphoteric means behaving as and reacting with both acids and bases. This gives you free rein to choose any acid, eg HCl, to react with the compound and since you know (or should know by now) that acid + base --> salt + water, you can construct an appropriate equation.
Similarly use a base of your choice, eg KOH and once again apply the same equation, acid + base --> salt + water.

In part b) you are told the product is AsH3 and the reactants are Zn + H ions (making hydrogen as a reducing agent) so the products will also include water.


Thanks. But how are you suppose what the salt is? I know it's something chloride if I use HCl, but what cation?
Reply 3
Well you're reacting As4O6 with HCl, so there's not really many options as to what the salt could be :p:

Reducing agents get oxidised, so I'm not seeing how hydrogen ions are reducing agents here. For part b though, I don't get why water has to form... What's wrong with this?

As4O6+12Zn+12H+4AsH3+6ZnO+6Zn2+\mathrm{As}_4\mathrm{O}_6 + 12\mathrm{Zn} + 12\mathrm{H}^+ \longrightarrow 4\mathrm{AsH}_3 + 6\mathrm{ZnO} + 6\mathrm{Zn}^{2+}
Zygroth
Well you're reacting As4O6 with HCl, so there's not really many options as to what the salt could be :p:

Reducing agents get oxidised, so I'm not seeing how hydrogen ions are reducing agents here. For part b though, I don't get why water has to form... What's wrong with this?

As4O6+12Zn+12H+4AsH3+6ZnO+6Zn2+\mathrm{As}_4\mathrm{O}_6 + 12\mathrm{Zn} + 12\mathrm{H}^+ \longrightarrow 4\mathrm{AsH}_3 + 6\mathrm{ZnO} + 6\mathrm{Zn}^{2+}


Zinc in the presence of hydrogen ions makes nascent hydrogen gas which is the reducing agent.

My reasoning is that arsenic is in group V and as such will exhibit chemistry similar to nitrogen. Nitrates are reduced by a zinc/acid mixture (or more usually an Al/NaOH mix) to ammonia in which the nitrogen is in the -III oxidation state:

Zn + 2H+ --> Zn2+ + H2
12H2 + As4O6 --> 4AsH3 + 6H2O

putting the two equations together gives:

12Zn + 24H+ + As4O6 --> 4AsH3 + 6H2O + 12Zn2+

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