electrochemistry I Flashcards
what is a redox reaction?
donation (transfer) of electrons from one substance to another
key features of a redox reaction?
-involves electron transfer
-one substance must donate electrons and one substance must accept electrons
-the substance that donates electrons (loses) = oxidised
-the substance that accepts electrons (gains) = reduced
oxidation can be identified by:
-loss of electrons (on RHS of half equation)
-increase in oxidation number
-gaining of oxygen
-loss of hydrogen
reduction can be identified by:
-gain of electrons (found on LHS of half equation)
-decrease in oxidation number
-loss of oxygen
-gain of hydrogen
what must you ensure in a half equation?
that the charges are BALANCED
writing an overall redox equation?
-the number of electrons lost during oxidation MUST EQUAL the number of electrons gained during reduction
-treat like maths simultaneous equations, cancel out e-
define electronegativity:
a measure of the tendency of an atom (of that element) to attract a bonding pair of electrons
what are oxidants?
reactants that cause another substance to be OXIDISED. it pulls electrons away from something else, causing that substance to LOSE ELECTRONS
what are reductants?
reactants that cause another substance to be reduced
what side of the half equation is reduction?
LHS - gaining electrons (RHS NOT RED)
what side of the half equation is oxidation?
RHS - losing electrons
general oxidants and reductants
halogens (group 17) = oxidants
halogen ions = reductants
metals = reductants
metal ions = oxidants
define oxidation number
a measure of the electron density around an atom, compared to its elemental form
is 4+ or +4 an oxidation number (O.N)
+4
sign comes before number
trend of electronegativity and O.N
more electronegative elements = negative oxidation numbers
less electronegative elements = positive oxidation numbers
rule 1 for O.N
- the sum of all the oxidation numbers in any substance is equal to the total charge. this means that the elemental form will always have an oxidation number of ZERO
rules 2 and 3 of O.N
- fluorine has an oxidation number of -1 in compounds
- group 1 metals are +1 in compounds, group 2 metals are +2 in compounds