1.redox Intro

ELECTROCHEMISTRY
9.1 Oxidation and reduction - Understandings
 Oxidation and reduction can be considered in terms of:

 oxygen gain/hydrogen loss
 electron transfer
 change in oxidation number
 An oxidizing agent is reduced and a reducing agent is oxidized.
 Variable oxidation numbers exist for transition metals and for most main-group
non-metals.
 The activity series ranks metals according to the ease with which they undergo
oxidation.
 The Winkler method can be used to measure biochemical oxygen demand (BOD),
used as a measure of the degree of pollution in a water sample.
Chemical Chameleon Demonstration
INQ:
1) What do color change imply?
2) What does the number of
times the color changes
imply?
Redox reactions
The different ways of identifying

these processes are:
Involves two processes:
1. In terms of specific elements –
 Reduction oxygen and hydrogen

2. In terms of electron transfer
Oxidation
3. In terms of oxidation number
Reduction: Removal of oxygen or addition of hydrogen
1.In terms of specific elements – oxygen and hydrogen
Reduction may be considered as the removal of oxygen, for example:
NiO(s) + C(s) → Ni(s) + CO(g)
In this reaction nickel(II) oxide is reduced by carbon to give metallic nickel.
Reduction may also be considered as the addition of hydrogen.
WO3(s) + 3H2(g) → W(s) + 3H2O(g)
Oxygen is removed from tungsten(VI) oxide in the process

Oxidation: Combining with oxygen
1. In terms of specific elements – oxygen and hydrogen
Examples: 2Mg(s) + O2(g) → 2MgO(s)
2CH3OH(l) + 3O2(g) → 2CO2(g) + 4H2O(l)
4Fe(s) + 3O2(g) → 2Fe2O3(s) *Corrosion
Fe2O3(s), iron(III) oxide, is rust.

Rusting is an example of the process of corrosion
Oxidation and reduction
Oxidation involves the loss of electrons Reduction involves the gain of electrons
Oil Rig
Oxidation Reduction
Is Is
Loss of e- Gain of e-
Oxidation and electron loss
When magnesium burns in oxygen to form magnesium oxide, what happens to
magnesium and its electrons?
oxidized
(electrons lost)
Mg + O  Mg2+ O2-
 The magnesium has been oxidized.

 The Mg atom has lost 2 electrons to form a Mg2+ ion.
Oxidation is the loss of electrons.

Reduction and electron gain
When magnesium burns in oxygen to form magnesium oxide, what happens to oxygen and its
electrons?
reduced
(electrons gained)
Mg + O  Mg2+ O2-
 The oxygen has been reduced.

 The O atom has gained 2 electrons to form a O2- ion.
Reduction is the gain of electrons.

Oxidation and reduction
Example:
Magnesium metal + oxygen gas  magnesium oxide
2Mg(s) + O2(g) → 2MgO(s)
Magnesium is a member of group 2 (alkaline earth metals)

 It loses its two valence electrons to attain the noble gas core configuration
Half equation • magnesium is oxidized
(loses electrons)
or 2Mg → 2Mg2+ + 4e– • oxygen is reduced
(gains electrons).
Oxygen is a member of group 16 (chalcogens) and is a non-metal
 It gains two electrons to attain the noble gas configuration
Half equation
or O2 + 4e– → 2O2–
Redox processes in terms of electron
transfer does not work for every reaction:
For example, complete combustion of solid carbon (eg in the form of coal) in
oxygen yields carbon dioxide:
C(s) + O2(g) → CO2(g)
However, carbon dioxide is molecular, with covalent bonds, so no ionic bonds are
formed.
 We cannot describe this combustion reaction as a redox process in terms of
electron transfer as in theory no electrons are lost or gained and carbon
dioxide is a neutral species!
The original definition of oxidation as the addition of oxygen is more

appropriate here as carbon is clearly oxidized in this process.
Oxidation and reduction in terms of oxidation states
The oxidation state is the apparent charge of an atom in a free element, a

molecule, or an ion.
Oxidation describes a process in which the oxidation state increases
Reduction describes a process in which the oxidation state decreases

Defining Oxidation States
Complete
oxidation state
of each atom:
a) NiO2
b) KMnO4
c) SF4
d) P4O6
Rules for assigning oxidation states
Assign oxidation states for all atoms in each of the
following compounds:
NiO2 KMnO4
SF4 P 4 O6
Oxidizing and reducing agents
 An oxidizing agent causes another species to be oxidized, and is itself
reduced in the process
 A reducing agent causes another species to be reduced, and is itself oxidized

in the process.
2Mg(s) + O2(g) → 2MgO(s)
• Reducing Agent • Oxidizing Agent

• Oxidized • Reduced
Variable oxidation states
Many elements have fixed oxidation
states
 group 1 alkali metals (eg +1 for Na)
 the group 2 alkaline earth metals
(eg +2 for Ca)
Variable oxidation states exist for:

 many main-group non-metals
 most of the transition elements
Oxidation states and the nomenclature
of transition metal compounds
Variable oxidation states
 Traditionally, the Roman numeral system of nomenclature has been used to
name such compounds and this system is based on oxidation numbers.
 In KMnO4, often called by its old name potassium permanganate by many
chemist
Its name is potassium manganate(VII) using the Stock nomenclature system.
KMnO4
O = -2
K = +1
Mn = x
x + 1 + 4(-2) = 0
x = +7
Plenary Part 1
Deduce the oxidation states of each atom (marked x) in each of the following species:
Plenary Part 2
State the reducing and oxidizing agent in the reaction above
a) Cl2 (aq) + 2 KI (aq)  2 KCl (aq) + I2 (aq)
b) Fe2+ (aq) + MnO4– (aq) → Fe3+

(aq) + Mn2+
(aq)

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ELECTROCHEMISTRY

9.1 Oxidation and reduction - Understandings

 Oxidation and reduction can be considered in terms of:

The different ways of identifying

Reduction may be considered as the removal of oxygen, for example:

NiO(s) + C(s) → Ni(s) + CO(g)

In this reaction nickel(II) oxide is reduced by carbon to give metallic nickel.

Reduction may also be considered as the addition of hydrogen.

WO3(s) + 3H2(g) → W(s) + 3H2O(g)

Oxygen is removed from tungsten(VI) oxide in the process

Examples: 2Mg(s) + O2(g) → 2MgO(s)

2CH3OH(l) + 3O2(g) → 2CO2(g) + 4H2O(l)

4Fe(s) + 3O2(g) → 2Fe2O3(s) *Corrosion

Fe2O3(s), iron(III) oxide, is rust.

 The magnesium has been oxidized.

Oxidation is the loss of electrons.

 The oxygen has been reduced.

Reduction is the gain of electrons.

2Mg(s) + O2(g) → 2MgO(s)

Magnesium is a member of group 2 (alkaline earth metals)

The original definition of oxidation as the addition of oxygen is more

The oxidation state is the apparent charge of an atom in a free element, a

Oxidation describes a process in which the oxidation state increases

Reduction describes a process in which the oxidation state decreases

 A reducing agent causes another species to be reduced, and is itself oxidized

2Mg(s) + O2(g) → 2MgO(s)

• Reducing Agent • Oxidizing Agent

Variable oxidation states exist for:

a) Cl2 (aq) + 2 KI (aq)  2 KCl (aq) + I2 (aq)

b) Fe2+ (aq) + MnO4– (aq) → Fe3+

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