So my class recently performed a lab wherein we placed a copper wire in a solution of silver nitrate. In a few days, silver formed as a precipitate on the copper (but easily fell off).Any ideas on whether copper or silver nitrate was the limting reagent?Thanks so much,Daniel
Was there still some copper left? Seeing as the silver fell off the copper wire, it seems there was still plenty of unreacted copper left over. Which would suggest that the silver nitrate solution all got used up. However, if the silver coating completely covered the copper, and the copper underneath was unable to make contact with the solution, it's possible that there was still some silver nitrate left. But it doesn't mean the copper was the limiting reagent, only that some of the copper remained inaccessible to the solution. If there was copper wire left over at the end, the copper was in excess. To truly make the silver in excess, put a tiny pinch of copper powder in to the silver nitrate solution. you could always test for silver ions by adding a drop of HCl. Any silver will form a white precipitate of silver chloride.
