Copper loses its shiny brown surface and gains a green coat when exposed to moist carbon dioxide, and the green substance formed is basic copper carbonate.

The most widely used method for refining impure metals is electrolytic refining, and this process is applied to metals like copper, zinc, tin, nickel, silver, and gold.

In electrolytic refining, the impure metal is made the anode, and a thin strip of pure metal is made the cathode. A metal salt solution serves as the electrolyte.

During electrolytic refining, the impure metal at the anode dissolves into the electrolyte, while an equivalent amount of pure metal is deposited on the cathode. Soluble impurities go into the solution, and insoluble impurities settle as anode mud at the ...

Silver articles turn black when they react with sulphur in the air, forming a coating of silver sulphide.

Functional groups are specific arrangements of atoms within a molecule, and they are denoted by their free valency. These groups, containing heteroatoms, confer distinct properties to carbon compounds, independent of the carbon chain’s characteristics.

Elements replacing hydrogen in a hydrocarbon chain are called heteroatoms. These heteroatoms, including halogens, oxygen, nitrogen, and sulphur, form functional groups in compounds, imparting specific properties regardless of the carbon chain’s length and nature.

Carbon forms bonds not only with hydrogen but also with halogens, oxygen, nitrogen, and sulphur. These elements can replace hydrogen in a hydrocarbon chain, maintaining carbon’s valency.

Carbon’s unparalleled catenation is attributed to its capacity to form strong bonds with other carbon atoms. With a valency of four, carbon can bond with multiple atoms, producing stable compounds with diverse elements due to the strength of its bonds.

Carbon compounds with only single bonds between carbon atoms are termed saturated, while those with double or triple bonds are referred to as unsaturated. The nature of bonding influences the properties of these compounds.