* Reactants: Iron (Fe) and Copper(II) chloride (CuCl₂)
* Products: Iron(II) chloride (FeCl₂) and Copper (Cu)
The bond formed is an ionic bond.
Explanation:
1. Iron (Fe) is a transition metal with a tendency to lose two electrons to form a +2 cation (Fe²⁺).
2. Copper(II) chloride (CuCl₂) is an ionic compound where copper exists as a +2 cation (Cu²⁺) and chloride exists as a -1 anion (Cl⁻).
3. Iron (Fe) is more reactive than Copper (Cu). This means iron can displace copper from its compound.
4. When iron reacts with copper(II) chloride, iron loses two electrons to form Fe²⁺ ions, which then bond ionically with chloride ions (Cl⁻) to form Iron(II) chloride (FeCl₂) .
5. The displaced copper ions gain electrons and reduce to metallic copper (Cu).
The overall reaction:
Fe(s) + CuCl₂(aq) → FeCl₂(aq) + Cu(s)
The reaction is a classic example of a single displacement reaction where a more reactive metal displaces a less reactive metal from its salt solution, forming an ionic bond with the non-metal anion.