Julie has received a set of antique sterling silverware as a gift from her aunt. Unfortunately, all spoons and forks are heavily tarnished. John says this is not a problem and silverware can be easily made to look like new. He recommends covering the bottom of a pot with aluminum foil, filling the pot with water, and dissolving baking soda. The water in the pot should be raised to boiling temperature. Next, the silverware should be placed in the pot for a minute. All the gray coating will disappear.
Julie is suspicious of this idea. She does not understand how aluminum and baking soda can help tarnish to disappear.
Explain why silver gets tarnished when exposed to air. Identify reactants and products of the reaction.You may have seen that colors of tarnished objects vary from yellow and red-brown to blue and black. Describe phenomena responsible for this.Determine if Julie can clean sterling silverware with the method proposed by John. You will need to write equations for the reactions that take place. (There may be more than one reaction). Identify what is oxidized and what is reduced.