Chemistry 1

Volume 4

Worksheet 4
Identifying Oxidation and Reduction From Half Reactions
Part 1

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1. Is reduction or oxidation occurring in the following half-reaction?
Zn0 à Zn2+ + 2 e-

2. Is reduction or oxidation occurring in the following half-reaction?

Ce4+ + e- à Ce3+

3. Is reduction or oxidation occurring in the following half-reaction?

Fe2+ à Fe3+ + e-

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4. Determine whether oxidation or reduction is occurring in the following half-reaction.
2 H+ + 2 e- à H2

5. Answer the questions that follow the redox half-reactions below.

Cu (s) à Cu2+ (aq) + 2 e-
2 Ag+ (aq) + 2 e- à 2 Ag (s)

a. Label the oxidation and reduction half-reactions.

b. Determine the oxidizing and reducing agents.

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6. Label each of the half-reactions below as either oxidation or reduction.
Cl2 (g) + 2 e- à 2 Cl- (aq)
2 Fe2+ (aq) à 2 Fe3+ (aq) + 2 e-

7. Label each of the half-reactions below as either reduction or oxidation.

2 Al (s) à 2 Al3+ + 6 e-
3 Ni2+ +6 e- à 3 Ni (s)

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8. Answer the following questions about the half-reactions below:
Mg (s) à Mg2+ + 2 e-
Cl2 (g) + 2 e- à 2 Cl-

a. Identify the oxidation and reduction reactions.

b. Identify the oxidizing and reducing agents.

9. Identify the half-reaction below as either oxidation or reduction.

Hg à Hg+ + e-

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 Answer Key
1. Is reduction or oxidation occurring in the following half-reaction?
Zn0 à Zn2+ + 2 e-
Since the Zn has gone from a neutral state to a positive state, it has lost two electrons.
When an atom loses electrons, it has been oxidized. So, this is the oxidation half-
reaction.
Correct answer: Oxidation

2. Is reduction or oxidation occurring in the following half-reaction?

Ce4+ + e- à Ce3+
The Ce4+ gains one electron and becomes less positive. Since it has gained an electron, it
has been reduced.
Correct answer: Reduction

3. Is reduction or oxidation occurring in the following half-reaction?

Fe2+ à Fe3+ + e-
The Fe2+ has lost one electron to become Fe3+ and has been oxidized.
Correct answer: Oxidation

4. Determine whether oxidation or reduction is occurring in the following half-reaction.

2 H+ + 2 e- à H2
H+ has gained an electron and has been reduced.
Correct answer: Reduction

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5. Answer the questions that follow the redox half-reactions below.
Cu (s) à Cu2+ (aq) + 2 e-
2 Ag+ (aq) + 2 e- à 2 Ag (s)

a. Label the oxidation and reduction half-reactions.

Since Cu has gone from a neutral state (Cu) to a more positive state, it has lost
two electrons. Since Cu lost electrons, it has been oxidized.
Ag+ has become less-positive and become neutral. To do this, it has gained an
electron and been reduced.

Correct answers:
Oxidation: Cu (s) à Cu2+ (aq) + 2 e-
Reduction: 2 Ag+ (aq) + 2 e- à 2 Ag (s)

b. Determine the oxidizing and reducing agents.

Since Cu was oxidized, it is the reducing agent.

Since Ag+ was reduced, it is the oxidizing agent.

Correct answers
Reducing agent: Cu
Oxidizing agent: Ag+

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6. Label each of the half-reactions below as either oxidation or reduction.
Cl2 (g) + 2 e- à 2 Cl- (aq)
2 Fe2+ (aq) à 2 Fe3+ (aq) + 2 e-

Cl2 has gone from a neutral state to a negative state, which means it has gained an
electron. When an atom gains one or more electrons, it has been reduced.
Fe2+ has lost an electron to become more positive. When an atom loses one or more
electrons, it has been oxidized.

Correct answer:
Reduction: Cl2 (g) + 2 e- à 2 Cl- (aq)
Oxidation: 2 Fe2+ (aq) à 2 Fe3+ (aq) + 2 e-

7. Label each of the half-reactions below as either reduction or oxidation.

2 Al (s) à 2 Al3+ + 6 e-

3 Ni2+ + 6 e- à 3 Ni (s)
Al has gone from neutral to positive and has lost three electrons, which means it has
been oxidized.
Ni2+ has become neutral by gaining two electrons, meaning it has been reduced.

Correct answer:
Oxidation: 2 Al (s) à 2 Al3+ + 6 e-
Reduction: 3 Ni2+ + 6 e- à 3 Ni (s)

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8. Answer the following questions about the half-reactions below:
Mg (s) à Mg2+ + 2 e-
Cl2 (g) + 2 e- à 2 Cl-
a. Identify the oxidation and reduction reactions.

Mg has gone from neutral to a positive state, which means it has lost two
electrons. When an atom loses electrons, it has been oxidized.

Cl2 has gone from neutral to negative, which means it has gained an electron.
When atoms gain electrons, they have been reduced.

Correct answer:
Oxidation: Mg (s) à Mg2+ + 2 e-
Reduction: Cl2 (g) + 2 e- à 2 Cl-

b. Identify the oxidizing and reducing agents.

Since Mg was oxidized, it is the reducing agent.

Since Cl2 was reduced, it is the oxidizing agent.

Correct answer:
Reducing agent: Mg
Oxidizing agent: Cl2

9. Identify the half-reaction below as either oxidation or reduction.

Hg à Hg+ + e-
Since Hg goes from neutral to positive, it has lost an electron. When atoms lose
electrons, they have been oxidized.
Correct answer: Oxidation

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