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Understanding Redox Reactions

Redox reactions involve the simultaneous processes of oxidation (gain of oxygen/loss of hydrogen) and reduction (loss of oxygen/gain of hydrogen), characterized by electron transfer and changes in oxidation numbers. The document outlines rules for determining oxidation numbers and describes disproportionation reactions where a species is both oxidized and reduced. It also discusses the use of Roman numerals in naming compounds to indicate oxidation states and the balancing of redox equations.

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19 views8 pages

Understanding Redox Reactions

Redox reactions involve the simultaneous processes of oxidation (gain of oxygen/loss of hydrogen) and reduction (loss of oxygen/gain of hydrogen), characterized by electron transfer and changes in oxidation numbers. The document outlines rules for determining oxidation numbers and describes disproportionation reactions where a species is both oxidized and reduced. It also discusses the use of Roman numerals in naming compounds to indicate oxidation states and the balancing of redox equations.

Uploaded by

tristanamazonuk
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Redox Reactions

Redox reactions
• Definition of redox included:
1. Oxidation is the gain of oxygen by an element/loss of hydrogen
2. Reduction is the loss of oxygen by and element/gain in hydrogen
• Oxidation and reduction always take place together we thus call these reaction redox
reactions.
• There is are two other ways of finding out whether the reaction is redox reaction:
1. Electron transfer
2. Changes in oxidation number
Redox and electron
transfer
Side notes
• When an atom is oxidised, it loses electrons
• When an atom is reduced, it gains electrons
• An oxidising agent takes electrons
• A reducing agent gives electrons
• Sodium reacts with Chlorine according to the following
reaction:

• We can divide the reaction into half equation:


Oxidation Numbers
• From the definition given in the first slide, some of the reactions seem to be redox reactions processes but fall outside the
definitions, the oxidation number/state system was introduced as a way of including all redox reaction.
• Oxidation is a number given to each atom or ion in a compound that shows the its degree of oxidation.(they can be positive
or negative)
Rules
1. The oxidation number of any uncombined element is zero. For example, the oxidation number of each atom in S8, Cl2
and Zn is zero.
2. In compounds many atoms or ions have fixed oxidation numbers
• Group 1 elements are always +1
• Group 2 elements are always +2
• fluorine is always –1
• hydrogen is +1 (except in metal hydrides such as NaH, where it is –1
• oxygen is –2 (except in peroxides, where it is –1, and in F2O, where it is +2).
3. The oxidation number of an element in a monatomic
• ion is always the same as the charge. For example, Cl– is –1, Al3+ is +3.
Oxidation Numbers
4. The sum of the oxidation numbers in a compound is zero.

5. The sum of the oxidation numbers in an ion is equal to the


charge on the ion.
6. In either a compound or an ion, the more electronegative
element is given the negative oxidation number.
Let's look at question 3
Balancing redox equation
using electron transfer
Disproportionation
reactions

• A disproportionation reaction is a reaction in which the


same species is simultaneously oxidised and reduced
Naming Compounds
and balancing equation
using oxidation
numbers

• We sometimes use roman numerals in


brackets to name compounds for
example Iron(II) chloride and Iron(III)
chloride
• The numbers in the brackets are the
oxidation numbers
• In balancing equations, the total
increase in oxidation number is the
total decrease in the oxidation number.
• Cl2 + OH- Cl- + ClO3- + H2O

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