Final answer:
Zinc metal reacts with copper sulfate to produce copper metal and zinc sulfate, with the balanced equation being Zn(s) + CuSO4(aq) → Cu(s) + ZnSO4(aq).
Step-by-step explanation:
When zinc metal is added to a copper sulfate solution, a redox reaction occurs where zinc displaces the copper, resulting in the formation of copper metal and zinc sulfate. The balanced chemical equation for this reaction is:
Zn(s) + CuSO4(aq) → Cu(s) + ZnSO4(aq)
In this process, zinc undergoes oxidation and copper undergoes reduction. The overall reaction is a combination of the oxidation-half and the reduction-half reactions.