Question

If powdered elemental zinc and powdered elemental sulfur are poured into a metal beaker and then heated strongly, a very vigorous chemical reaction takes place, and the _______ zinc sulfide is formed.

Short answer

When powdered elemental zinc and powdered elemental sulfur are poured into a metal beaker and heated strongly, a vigorous chemical reaction occurs to form the product, zinc sulfide (ZnS), as represented by the balanced chemical equation: Zn + S -> ZnS.

Step-by-step solution

Identify the reactants and product in the reaction

The reactants in this reaction are powdered elemental zinc (Zn) and powdered elemental sulfur (S). We need to find the product formed, which is zinc sulfide.

Write the unbalanced chemical equation for the reaction

Write the unbalanced chemical equation with the reactants and product: Zn + S -> ZnS

Balance the chemical equation

Since every element has the same number of atoms on each side of the equation, the equation is already balanced: Zn + S -> ZnS

Identify the product

Now that we have the balanced equation, we can see that the product formed is zinc sulfide (ZnS). So when powdered elemental zinc and powdered elemental sulfur are poured into a metal beaker and then heated strongly, a very vigorous chemical reaction takes place, and the product formed is zinc sulfide (ZnS).

Key concepts

Reactants and Products

Understanding the components involved in a chemical reaction is crucial to grasping the fundamentals of chemistry. In any chemical reaction, the substances that react with each other are known as reactants, while the new substances formed as a result of the reaction are referred to as products.

Consider the example of powdered elemental zinc and sulfur being heated in a metal beaker. Powdered elemental zinc (Zn) and powdered elemental sulfur (S) are the reactants because they are the starting materials that will undergo a change. Once heated, they react vigorously to form a compound known as zinc sulfide (ZnS), which is the product of this reaction.

Reactants are located on the left-hand side of the chemical equation, while products are placed on the right-hand side. In our case, the equation initially looks like this: Zn + S -> ZnS. It's the transformation of these reactants through chemical processes that leads to the final products we are interested in.

Balancing Chemical Equations

Balancing a chemical equation is a process that ensures the law of conservation of mass is upheld; the number of atoms for each element must be equal on both sides of the equation. This principle is fundamental, as matter cannot be created or destroyed during a chemical reaction.

To balance an equation, we adjust the coefficients, the numbers in front of the reactants and products, without altering the chemical formula itself. Let's revisit our example: the chemical equation for the synthesis of zinc sulfide starts unbalanced as Zn + S -> ZnS. Upon inspection, we can see that there is one atom of zinc and one atom of sulfur on both sides of the equation. Hence, the equation is already balanced and no further steps are needed.

However, in more complex reactions, coefficients may need to be changed to achieve balance. The process involves trial and error but follows a systematic approach to ensure each element has equal representation on both sides.

Synthesis of Zinc Sulfide

The synthesis of a compound from simpler materials is a type of chemical reaction known as a synthesis reaction. When elemental zinc (Zn) and elemental sulfur (S) are combined and heated, they undergo a synthesis reaction to form zinc sulfide (ZnS), an example of an inorganic compound.

The chemical equation representing this synthesis can be written as follows: Zn + S -> ZnS. The equation conveys that the elements zinc and sulfur react in a 1:1 ratio to yield zinc sulfide. This simple stoichiometry is due to the valency of zinc and sulfur that allows them to combine in this proportion to form a neutral compound.

Zinc sulfide is a valuable compound that has numerous applications, particularly in the field of materials science where it is used in luminescent materials, pigments, and various electronic devices.