chemistry

Electrochemistry - Index Home > Physical & Theoretical Chemistry > Electrochemistry ELECTROCHEMISTRY Balancing Oxidation - Reduction reactions by the Oxidation Number Method Oxidation Numbers: Assigning oxidation numbers to atoms in a chemical compound - Examples Oxidation – Reduction (Redox) Reactions – Balancing Redox Reactions   Electrochemistry is the study of the relationship between electricity and chemical reactions. It is primarily concerned with two processes that involve oxidation-reduction reactions : the generation of an electric current from a chemical reaction and the opposite process, the use of a current to produce chemical change . At the heart of electrochemistry are the oxidation-reduction reactions. These reactions power batteries that in turn are used in cars, calculators, laptops and in our portable electr...

Balancing Oxidation / Reduction Reactions Balancing Oxidation - Reduction reactions by the Oxidation Number In many important chemical reactions, electrons are transferred from atom to atom. Such reactions are called either oxidation – reduction reactions or redox reactions . Many important chemical reactions involve oxidation and reduction . In a previous post entitled “ Oxidation – Reduction (Redox) Reactions – Balancing Redox Reactions ” several examples of redox reactions were given and the concept of oxidation number was discussed. Solved examples for the determination of oxidation numbers to atoms in  chemical compounds were given in the post “ Oxidation Numbers: Assigning oxidation numbers to atoms in a chemical compound – Examples ”. A number of different techniques have traditionally been taught in beginning chemistry students for balancing chemical reactions. These methods are the following: Inspection : Most stud...

Oxidation / Reduction Oxidation Numbers: Assigning oxidation numbers to atoms in chemical compounds - Examples   In a previous post entitled “ Oxidation – Reduction (Redox) Reactions – Balancing Redox Reactions ” the general steps for assigning oxidation numbers to atoms in a molecule or ion were presented. Assignment of oxidation numbers is a basic step for balancing redox reactions . A few solved examples are given below:   Example #1 Calculate the oxidation number of the S atom in the following compounds: α) H 2 S    b) SO 4 -2   α) Step 1 : Find the most electronegative atom The most electronegative atom in H 2 S is the S atom   Step 2 : The oxidation number of the most electronegative atom is equal to the charge of its ion Since the charge of sulfur’s ion is unknown let’s suppose that is equal to x   Step 3 : Oxidation numbers that are not known have to be calculated. The oxidatio...

Oxidation / Reduction reactions - Balancing redox reactions Redox Reactions – Balancing Redox Reactions In many important chemical reactions, electrons are transferred from atom to atom. Such reactions are called either oxidation – reduction reactions or redox reactions . Many important chemical reactions involve oxidation and reduction. In fact, most reactions used for energy production are redox reactions. In living species the oxidation of sugars, fats, and proteins provides the energy necessary for life. The electric current from the batteries that power computers and cell phones is generated by oxidation-reduction reactions.  One of the most familiar redox reactions is corrosion of a metal. Corrosion is the conversion of a metal into a metal compound by a reaction between the metal and some substance in its environment. When a metal corrodes, each metal atom loses electrons and a cation is formed, which can combine with an anion to form an ionic comp...