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CH18 Oxidation-Reduction Reactions

This chapter discusses oxidation-reduction (redox) reactions. It defines oxidation as losing electrons and reduction as gaining electrons. Redox reactions occur when both oxidation and reduction take place simultaneously. The substance being reduced is the oxidizing agent, as it causes something else to become oxidized. The substance being oxidized is the reducing agent, as it causes something else to become reduced. Oxidation state is a bookkeeping method to track electrons in chemical bonds, assigning them to the more electronegative element. Oxidation increases oxidation state while reduction decreases it.

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53 views2 pages

CH18 Oxidation-Reduction Reactions

This chapter discusses oxidation-reduction (redox) reactions. It defines oxidation as losing electrons and reduction as gaining electrons. Redox reactions occur when both oxidation and reduction take place simultaneously. The substance being reduced is the oxidizing agent, as it causes something else to become oxidized. The substance being oxidized is the reducing agent, as it causes something else to become reduced. Oxidation state is a bookkeeping method to track electrons in chemical bonds, assigning them to the more electronegative element. Oxidation increases oxidation state while reduction decreases it.

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Carlos Mella-Rijo
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© © All Rights Reserved
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CHEM 1442

Chapter 18: Oxidation-Reduction Reactions


18.1 Oxidation and Reduction
 Oxidation: losing electrons
 Reduction: gaining electrons
 Reactions in which oxidation and reduction occur are called redox reactions because oxidation cannot
occur without reduction. A substance cannot lose electrons unless another gains electrons.
 Agents of Oxidation and Reduction
o When a substance gains electrons and is reduced, it causes something else to lose electrons and
be oxidized. Therefore, the substance reduced is called the oxidizing agent, since it causes
oxidation in another substance.
o When a substance loses electrons and is oxidized, it causes something else to gain electrons and
be reduced. Therefore, the substance reduced is called the reducing agent, since it causes
reduction in another substance.

18.2 Oxidation States


 Oxidation state: Bookkeeping technique for keeping track of electrons. It treats all of an atom’s bonds
as if they were ionic, assigning the electrons in each bond to the more electronegative element.
o The following rules are helpful in determining the oxidation state of an element in a
compound:
 The oxidation state of an element in its neutral elemental form is: zero.
 The oxidation state of a monatomic ion is the same as its ionic charge.
 In binary compounds, the element with the greater electronegativity is assigned a
negative oxidation state equal to the charge that it would have if it were a monatomic
ion.
 The sum of the oxidation states of every atom equals the overall charge of the
substance.
o Several generalizations are useful when working with oxidation states:
 The highest oxidation state an element can have is the old group number.
 The lowest oxidation state an element can have is the old group number minus eight.
 The oxidation state of a metal can only be positive or zero.
 Nonmetals can have oxidation states that are positive, negative, or zero.
 Oxidation:
o is an increase in oxidation state.
o A substance is oxidized when it goes from a lower oxidation state to a higher one.
o An oxidizing agent must contain an element in one of its higher oxidation states.
 Reduction :
o is a decrease in oxidation state.
o A substance is reduced when it goes from a higher oxidation state to a lower one.
o A reducing agent must contain an element in one of its lower oxidation states.
 Disproportionation Reaction: a redox reaction in which the same substance is oxidized and reduced.
18.3 Balancing Redox Equations

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