Question

What are the products formed when zinc reacts with steam?
A. Zinc hydroxide and oxygen
B. Zinc hydroxide and hydrogen
C. Zinc oxide and oxygen
D. Zinc oxide and hydrogen

Answer 1

Hint: Zinc doesn't react with cold water as it is not reactive enough to react with cold water. To make the reaction of zinc with water proceed further, energy is provided, so it changes the state of cold water to hot steam.

Complete step by step solution:
As stated in the hint zinc doesn't react with cold water, so to make the reaction proceed, we must give some external energy so that the reaction mixture can reach the activation energy barrier and allow the reaction to occur.
- Zinc reacts with steam to give zinc oxide and hydrogen gas.
The reaction can be given as:
\[{\text{Zinc}} + {\text{Steam}} \to {\text{Zinc oxide + Hydrogen gas}}\]
\[Z{n_{(s)}} + {H_2}{O_{(g)}} \to Zn{O_{(s)}} + {H_{2(g)}}\]
So, we can say that when zinc reacts with steam the products formed are zinc oxide and hydrogen gas.

Therefore, option D is correct.

Additional Information:
- Zinc is a chemical element with the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is the first element of group 12 in the periodic table.
- It has normal oxidation of +2 and has five stable isotopes.
- It is an essential mineral to postnatal development. Its deficiency causes growth retardation, delayed sexual maturation and diarrhea.
- Sometimes excessive consumption of it also causes ataxia, lethargy and copper deficiency.

Note: Remember one thing that when every metal reacts with cold water, hydroxides are formed. When metals react with steam they form oxides. Hydrogen is always produced when a metal reacts with cold water or steam.