What happens when a strip of zinc is placed in a silver nitrate solution?

When a strip of zinc is placed in a silver nitrate solution, a displacement reaction occurs. The more reactive metal (zinc) reacts with the less reactive metal (silver) in the solution, resulting in a physical change in the appearance of the strip of zinc. The zinc atoms lose electrons and become ions, while the silver ions gain electrons and become silver atoms which form a silver precipitate on the zinc strip. The overall reaction can be represented as follows: Zn (s) + 2AgNO3 (aq) ? Zn(NO3)2 (aq) + 2Ag (s) Therefore, the zinc strip will become coated with a layer of silver and the silver nitrate solution will become less concentrated.