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What changes when metal becomes an ion?
A metal electrode and its dissolved ions share elemental identity, but differ in charge and surroundings.
This cell pairs Zn(s)/Zn²⁺(aq) with Cu²⁺(aq)/Cu(s). Aqueous ions interact with water; they are not tiny floating pieces of metal.
Sources for this view
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Metal, dissolved-ion and bridge inventories update together. Species markers are counted examples; polyatomic ions are single labeled markers.
What this representation means
Original species ledger in schematic compartments, not measured particle positions, concentration or reaction kinetics. Nitrate half-cell counterions and a KNO₃ bridge are chosen to make charge balance explicit. Hydration, interfaces and the external wire are omitted from 3D; the companion diagram identifies the transport routes.
- Electron transfer account
- 0 e⁻ through external path
- Conserved elemental inventory
- 4 Zn sites · 4 Cu sites
- Bulk solution charge account
- Both compartments remain neutral
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Which description preserves identity?