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Subject: Chemistry
Syllabus topic: Oxidation and Reduction

Notes

Oxidation:
 Gain of oxygen
 Loss of Hydrogen
 lLoss of electrons
 Increase in oxidation number

Reduction

Reduction is the opposite of oxidation.

It is the
 Loss of oxygen
 Gain of electrons
 Gain of Hydrogen
 Decrease in oxidation number

Oxidation number

 Referres to the number of electrons used by an element’s atom to

form bonds in a compound

Redox reaction:
 A reaction in which oxidation and reduction Take place at the Same
time.
 It can be defined as a reaction in which there is a net transfer of
electrons.

This Handout is going to focus on redox reactions, having defined the

basic terms.

REDOX PROCESSES

1. Reactions with oxygen

When atoms of elements react with oxygen gas to form oxides,
they are said to be oxidised. Oxidation is the gain of oxygen.
When magnesium burns in oxygen, magnesium oxide is formed:
2Mg(s) + O2(g) 2MgO(g)

 The magnesium has clearly been oxidised. Oxidation and reduction

always take place together ( redox), so the oxygen must have been
reduced.
 During the reaction, each magnesium atom loses two electrons and
each
 oxygen atom gains two.( Refer to ionic Bonding).

Transfer of electrons

 If a substance loses electrons during a reaction, it has been oxidised.

 If it gains electrons, it has been reduced.
 The reaction is a redox reaction.

 A half equation can be used to show electron transfer in a reaction.

 One half-equation shows electron loss, and the other shows electron
gain.

 This is how to write the half-equations for the reaction between

magnesium and Oxygen

1. Write down each reactant, with the electrons it gains or loses.

Magnesium: 2 Mg(s) Mg2+(s) + 4e-

Oxygen: O2(g) + 4e- 2O2-(s)

2. The number of electrons must be the same in both equations.

If it is not, multiply one (or both) equations by a number, to
balance them.

Redox without oxygen

Any reaction in which electron transfer takes place is a redox reaction.

So the reaction does not have to include oxygen!
1 The reaction between sodium and chlorine

2Na +Cl2 2NaCl

The sodium atoms give electrons to the chlorine atoms, forming ions as
shown on the right. So sodium is oxidised, and chlorine is reduced.
So the reaction is a redox reaction. These are the half-equations:

Sodium: 2Na(s) 2Na+(aq) + 2e- (oxidation)

Chlorine: Cl2(g)+2e- 2Cl-(aq) (Reduction)

2. The reaction between chlorine and potassium bromide

When chlorine gas is bubbled through a colourless solution of
potassium bromide, the solution goes orange/brown due to this reaction:

Chlorine + Potassium Bromide Potassium Chloride + Bromine

Cl2 (g) + KBr(aq) KCl(aq) + Br2(g)

Colourless orange/brown

Bromine has been displaced. The half-equations for the reaction are:

Clorine: Cl2(g) + 2e- 2Cl-(aq) (reduction)

Bromine: Br -(aq) Br2 + 2e- (oxidation)

This is a displacement reaction

 When a non metal element becomes part of an ionic compound

with a metal, it is said to be reduced because it gains electrons in
the process.
 When a non metal element is removed from an ionic compound, it
is said to be oxidized because it loses electrons in doing so.

From half-equations to the ionic equation

Adding the balanced half-equations gives the ionic equation for the
reaction.
An ionic equation shows the ions that take part in the reaction.
For example, for the reaction between chlorine and potassium bromide:
The electrons cancel, giving the ionic equation for the reaction:

Redox and changes in oxidation state

 Oxidation state tells you how many electrons each atom of an

element has gained, lost, or shared, in forming a compound.

 An element which loses electrons has a positive oxidation state.

 An element which gains electrons has a negative oxidation state.
 Metal elements have positive oxidation states
 Non metal elements have negative oxidation states

The rules for oxidation states

1 Each atom in a formula has an oxidation state.
2 The oxidation state is usually given as a Roman numeral.
3 Where an element is not combined with other elements, its atoms are
in oxidation state 0.
4 Many elements have the same oxidation state in most or all their
compounds. Look at these:
 Element: Usual Oxidation State
Hydrogen +1
oxygen -2
Sodium and other Group 1 +1
elements
Calcium and other group 2 +2
elements
Chlorine and other group 7 -1
elements
Aluminium +3
  But atoms of transition elements can have variable oxidation states
in
their compounds. Look at these:

Transition Metal Element Oxidation State

Iron(Fe) +2 and +3
Copper(Cu) +1 and +2
Manganese(Mn) +2, +4 and +7
Chromu(Cr) +3 and +6

So for these elements, the oxidation state is included in the compound’s

name. For example iron(III) chloride, copper(II) oxide.

 Note that in any formula, the oxidation states must add up to zero.
 Look at the formula for magnesium chloride, for example:

Oxidation states change during redox reactions

Look at the equation for the reaction between sodium and chlorine:

 Each sodium atom loses an electron during the reaction, to form an

Na+ion.
 So sodium is oxidised, and its oxidation state rises from 0 to 1I.

 Each chlorine atom gains an electron, to form a Cl- ion. So chlorine is

reduced, and its oxidation state falls from 0 to -2..

If oxidation states change during a reaction, it is a redox reaction.