SCH4U - Notes From Rayner Redox
SCH4U - Notes From Rayner Redox
SCH4U - Notes From Rayner Redox
Redox
Oxidation reaction– any reaction in which electrons are lost
Reduction reaction – any reaction that involves the gain of electrons
Oxidation + reduction happen concurrently -> redox reactions
Electronegativity – ability of bonded atoms to attract electrons that are shared with
other atoms
- Metals have low electronegativity (lowest in Group IA)
- Nonmetals have high electronegativity (Cl, O, F easily reduced)
Transfer of electrons
- Complete in ionic compounds, incomplete in molecular
Oxidation number/state - # electrons an atom in a compound would gain or lose
Oxidation number of an atom in its pure form, as an element, is zero
Oxidation number of a monatomic ion is equal to the charge on the ion
- Alkali metals always have oxidation # of +1 in compounds
- Alkaline earth metals are +2
- Group VIIA elements all have values of -1
- Group VIA elements have values of -2
The most common oxidation number for hydrogen is +1; in metal hydrides it is -1
The most common oxidation number for oxygen is -2; in peroxides it is -1, and in
combination with fluorine is +2
Many elements, especially nonmetals, can have several different oxidation numbers
- But oxidation number never exceeds the group number of the element
Oxidation numbers with covalent bonds
- Transfer of electrons not complete, unequally shared electrons are counted with
the more electronegative atom
In combination of nonmetals, the oxidation number of the more electronegative
atom is negative, and less electronegative atom is positive.
Electrons are neither created nor destroyed in a chemical reaction -> total number
of electrons remain unchanged -> REDOX
The element that undergoes oxidation is the reducing agent.
The element that undergoes reduction is the oxidizing agent.
Activity series – list of metals + hydrogen arranged in order of acidity such that any
element in the series will displace ions of the elements below it from aqueous
solutions of their salts
- metal donates electrons to positive ions of another metal placed below it
Good oxidizing agent – good electron accepter (oxygen and chlorine)
Good reducing agent – good electron donor (hydrogen gas)
Many redox reactions involve increase/decrease in amount of oxygen contained in
reactants (terms oxidation and reduction origin)
- Element/compound is oxidized when combining with oxygen
- “” reduced when oxygen is removed from it