Each beaker shown in the given options, contains two same sizes strips of different metals fastened together and immersed in hydrochloric acid. After 5 minutes, which beaker will contain the least amount of zinc ions ?

Options

A.
B.
C.
D.

Explanation

To determine which beaker will contain the least amount of zinc ions after 5 minutes of immersion in hydrochloric acid, we need to analyze the reactivity of the metals involved. Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of the solution:

### Step 1: Identify the Metals in Each Beaker
- Beaker 1: Magnesium and Zinc
- Beaker 2: Lead and Zinc
- Beaker 3: Iron and Zinc
- Beaker 4: Silver and Zinc

### Step 2: Understand the Reactivity Series
The reactivity series ranks metals based on their reactivity with acids and other substances. In this case, we are particularly interested in how these metals react with hydrochloric acid:
- More reactive metals will displace less reactive metals from their compounds.
- The order of reactivity from most to least reactive in our case is:
1. Magnesium
2. Zinc
3. Iron
4. Lead
5. Silver

### Step 3: Analyze Each Beaker
- **Beaker 1 (Magnesium and Zinc)**: Magnesium is more reactive than zinc. Therefore, magnesium will react with hydrochloric acid and produce magnesium ions, while zinc will not produce any additional ions.
- **Beaker 2 (Lead and Zinc)**: Lead is less reactive than zinc, so zinc will remain mostly unchanged, and lead will not displace zinc.
- **Beaker 3 (Iron and Zinc)**: Iron is less reactive than zinc, so again, zinc will remain mostly unchanged, and iron will not displace zinc.
- **Beaker 4 (Silver and Zinc)**: Silver is the least reactive metal here, so zinc will not be displaced and will remain unchanged.

### Step 4: Conclusion
Since magnesium in Beaker 1 will react with hydrochloric acid and produce magnesium ions, it will lead to the least amount of zinc ions being produced in this beaker. In the other beakers, zinc will remain largely unchanged because the metals paired with it are less reactive.

Thus, **the beaker that will contain the least amount of zinc ions after 5 minutes is Beaker 1 (Magnesium and Zinc).**