Lecture 14

LECTURE 15
Reduction-Oxidation (RedOx) Reactions
Introduction
Many reactions in chemistry involve direct transfer of electrons from one chemical species
to another. The species that donates (loses) electrons is said to have been oxidized and the
one accepting electrons is said to have been reduced. The species that is reduced is called
the oxidizing agent because it is reduced in the process of oxidation of the other. The
species that is oxidized is called the reducing agent because its reduction occurs in the
process of reduction of the other species.
Some simple examples of RedOx reactions
Consider the reaction; Ca (s) + 2HCl (aq)  CaCl2(aq) + H2(g)
The net Ionic Equation is; Ca(s) + 2H+(aq)  Ca2+(aq) + H2(g) [confirm this for yourself]
In the NIE, what has effectively happened (the actual reaction) is a transfer of 2 electrons
from a calcium atom to 2 hydrogen ions to form hydrogen gas. Calcium is said to have been
oxidized (lost electrons), while the hydrogen ions are reduced (gained electrons).
Oxidation Number
This is a real or arbitrary charge that is assigned to an atom.
-For monatomic ions, it is simply the charge of the ion, e.g. for Mn 2+it is +2; for N3- it is -3,
etc.
-For free (uncombined) elements the oxidation number is zero, e.g. Ca(s), He(g), H2(g), P4(s),
etc.
Rules for Oxidation Numbers
1. The oxidation number of a free element is zero

2. The sum of the oxidation numbersof all atomsin a species is equal to the charge of
that species.
Example
For Na2SO4: 2 x OXNa + OXS + 4 x OXO = 0 ;
For H2PO4- : 2 x OXH + OXP + 4 x OXO = -1
3. The oxidation number of alkali (Group 1) metals is always +1 in compounds
4. The oxidation number of alkalike earths (Group 2) metals is always +2 in compounds
5. The oxidation number of F ia always -1 in compounds
6. The oxidation number of H is always +1 in compounds , except in binary compounds
with an active metal (e.g. CaH2, NaH), in which case it is -1
7. The oxidation number of O is usually -2 in compounds, except in peroxides (O22-) or
superoxides (O2-), or binary compounds with fluorine, e,g OF2 (+2), O2F2 (+1)
8. Halogens (other than F) tend to have oxidation number of -1, except when in
oxyions, or when combined with a more active halogen [order of activity: F>Cl>Br>I;
Examples of oxyions: ClO-, BrO2-; Binary dihalogens: IF5 (OXI =+5), BrCl3 (OXBr = +3)]
9. Transition metals have variable oxidation states, e.g. for copper: Cu (0) , Cu +(+1),
Cu2+(+2)
Determining the oxidation number of a multi-atomic species-Illustration with examples
Determine the oxidation number (state) of each of the bolded element in each of the
compounds below;
a) NaHSO4 . Answer: (+1)+(+1)+OXS +(-2 x 4)=0, therefore OXS = +6

b) H2PO4-. Answer: (+1x2)+(OXP)+(-2x4) = -1, therefore OXP = +5
c) K2Cr2O7. Answer: (+1x2)+(2xOXCr)+(-2x7) = 0, therefore 2xOXCr = 6 (OXCr =+3)
d) H2S4O6. Answer: (+1x2)+(4xOXS)+(-2x6) =0, work it out!
-An oxidizing agent
* Accepts electrons, *Is itself reduced during reaction and *Contains the element
undergoing a decrease in oxidation number
-A reducing agent
* Donates electrons, * Is itself oxidized during reaction, and * Contains the element that
undergoes an increase in oxidation number
Exercise/Example: Consider the RedOx reaction below. Track the changes in oxidation
numbers and therefore determine the reductant and oxidant
Cd(s) + NiO2(s) + 2H2O(l)  Cd(OH)2(s) + Ni(OH)2(s)

Balancing Simple RedOx reactions
[A quick reminder: O I L R I G = Oxidation Is Loss ; Reduction Is Gain ]

Note:
 All electrons lost by the reducing agent are gained by the oxidizing agent.
 The total charge on the reactant side of the equation should equal the charge on the
product side
Example:
Al(s) + Cu2+(aq)  Al3+(aq) + Cu(s) (Atoms balance, but not charge)
To balance charge: 2Al(s) + 3Cu2+(aq)  2Al3+(aq) + 3Cu(s). In this case, the stoichiometric
coefficients needed to balance both matter and charge can be determined by inspection.
But what if you were to balance a RedOx reaction such as
MnO4-(aq) + C2O42-(aq)  Mn2+(aq) + CO2(g) ? In this case the situation is more complex-
we can’t balance by inspection! We need to use a more systematic approach, and that is the
task for LECTURE 16.

Lecture 14

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Lecture 14

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Lecture 14

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

LECTURE 15

Reduction-Oxidation (RedOx) Reactions

Some simple examples of RedOx reactions

Consider the reaction; Ca (s) + 2HCl (aq)  CaCl2(aq) + H2(g)

This is a real or arbitrary charge that is assigned to an atom.

1. The oxidation number of a free element is zero

Determining the oxidation number of a multi-atomic species-Illustration with examples

a) NaHSO4 . Answer: (+1)+(+1)+OXS +(-2 x 4)=0, therefore OXS = +6

-An oxidizing agent

Cd(s) + NiO2(s) + 2H2O(l)  Cd(OH)2(s) + Ni(OH)2(s)

[A quick reminder: O I L R I G = Oxidation Is Loss ; Reduction Is Gain ]

Al(s) + Cu2+(aq)  Al3+(aq) + Cu(s) (Atoms balance, but not charge)

But what if you were to balance a RedOx reaction such as

You might also like