CHEMY 101

CHAPTER 4

Reactions in aqueous
Solutions
CHCHAPTER OUTLINE

4.1 General Properties of Aqueous Solutions

4.2 Precipitation Reactions

4.3 Acid-Base Reactions

4.4 Oxidation-Reduction Reactions

4.5 Concentration of Solutions

4.7 Acid-Base Titrations

4.1 General Properties of Aqueous Solutions
➢ Solutions are homogeneous mixtures of two or more pure
substances that combine to form a single phase.
➢ Solvent is the substance present in the larger amount

➢ Solute is the substance present in the smaller amount

➢ Aqueous solution Solution in which the solvent is water
Some Common Types of Solutions

Solute Solvent Solution Phase Example

Gas Liquid Liquid Club Soda (CO2 in H2O)
Liquid Liquid Liquid Vinegar ( acetic acid in H2O)
Solid Liquid Liquid Saline solution (NaCl in H2O)

Solid Solid Solid Yellow braze (Zn in Cu)

Electrolytic properties
➢ Electrolyte is a substance that, when dissolved in water,
gives ions, results in a solution that can conduct electricity.
Example: strong acids and bases and salts (NaCl, HCl, NaOH)

➢ Nonelectrolyte is a substance that, when dissolved in water,

does not give ions, results in a solution that does not
conduct electricity. Example: sugar, methanol

nonelectrolyte weak electrolyte strong electrolyte

Conduct electricity in solution?
Cations (+) and Anions (-)
➢ Strong Electrolyte – 100% dissociation
H 2O
NaCl (s) Na+ (aq) + Cl- (aq)

➢ Weak Electrolyte – not completely dissociated

Acetic acid is a weak electrolyte because its
ionization in water is incomplete.

CH3COOH CH3COO- (aq) + H+ (aq)

A reversible reaction.
The reaction can occur in both directions.
Nonelectrolyte does not conduct electricity?

No cations (+) and anions (-) in solution

H 2O
C6H12O6 (s) C6H12O6 (aq)
Sugar

6
➢ Hydration is the process in which an ion is surrounded by
water molecules arranged in a specific manner.

-
+ Cl
Na d-

d+
H2O 7
 ❑ NOTE THAT

➢ Water is a very effective solvent for ionic compounds. It has a

positive region (the H atoms) and a negative region (the O
atom), or positive and negative “poles”; for this reason, it is
a polar solvent.
➢ Acids and bases are also electrolytes. Some acids, including
hydrochloric acid (HCl) and nitric acid (HNO3), are strong
electrolytes. These acids ionize completely in water.

On the other hand, certain acids, such as acetic acid (CH3COOH),

which is found in vinegar, ionize to a much lesser extent
(partially ionized).
4.2 Precipitation Reactions
• Precipitation reaction is the formation of an insoluble
solid when two aqueous solutions of different ions are
mixed
• The insoluble solid is called precipitate.
(It does not dissolve in solution)
• Example:
– when an aqueous solution of lead(II) nitrate [Pb(NO3)2] is
added to an aqueous solution of potassium iodide (KI),
– a yellow precipitate of lead(II) iodide (PbI2) is formed:
➢ Solubility is the maximum amount of solute that will dissolve in a
given quantity of solvent at a specific temperature.

Chemists refer to substances as soluble, slightly soluble, or insoluble in a

qualitative sense. A substance is said to be soluble if a fair amount of it visibly
dissolves when added to water. If not, the substance is described as slightly
soluble or insoluble. All ionic compounds are strong electrolytes, but they are
not equally soluble.
Examples of Insoluble Compounds

CdS PbS Ni(OH)2 Al(OH)3

Molecular, ionic, and net ionic equations

➢ Molecular Equation
It is a balanced chemical equation where the ionic compounds are
expressed as molecules instead of component ions
➢ Ionic Equation
In which we can write the soluble ionic compounds as dissociated
ions
➢ Net Ionic Equation
It includes only the actual ions forming the reaction.
➢ Spectator Ions
They appear on both side of the equation; they are not reactant; they
go through the reaction unchanged.
To write a net ionic equation from a complete ionic equation eliminate all spectators.
Writing Precipitation Reactions
precipitate

Pb(NO3)2 (aq) + 2NaI (aq) PbI2 (s) + 2NaNO3 (aq)

Molecular equation

Pb2+ + 2NO3- + 2Na+ + 2I- PbI2 (s) + 2Na+ + 2NO3-

Complete ionic equation

Pb2+ + 2I- PbI2 (s)

Net ionic equation

PbI2
Na+ and NO3- are spectator ions
Precipitation of barium sulfate BaSO4

✓ Molecular equation:

✓ Complete ionic equation:

✓ Net ionic equation

Precipitation of Silver Iodide
•Molecular equation:
AgNO3(aq) +NaI(aq) → AgI(s) + NaNO3(aq)

•Complete ionic equation:

Ag+(aq) + NO3−(aq) + Na+(aq) + I −(aq) → AgI(s) + Na+(aq) + NO3−(aq)

spectator ions
•Net ionic equation:
Ag+(aq) + I −(aq) → AgI(s)
Writing Net Ionic Equations
1. Write the balanced molecular equation.
2. Write the ionic equation showing the strong electrolytes
completely dissociated into cations and anions.
3. Cancel the spectator ions on both sides of the ionic equation
4. Check that charges and number of atoms are balanced in the
net ionic equation
➢ Write the net ionic equation for the reaction of silver
nitrate with sodium chloride.

AgNO3 (aq) + NaCl (aq) AgCl (s) + NaNO3 (aq)

Ag+ + NO3- + Na+ + Cl- AgCl (s) + Na+ + NO3-

Ag+ + Cl- AgCl (s)

•Molecular equation:

•Complete ionic equation:

Net ionic equation:

Exercise:

Predict whether a precipitate will form when dilute

solutions of the following ionic compounds are
mixed. If so, write a net ionic equation for the
reaction.

a) CaCl2 and Na2CO3

b) FeCl3 and AgNO3
c) Cu(NO3)2 and (NH4)2CO3
d) (NH4)3PO4 and K2CO3
4.3 Acid-Base Reactions
General Properties of Acids and Bases

• Acids have a sour taste.

• Bases have a bitter taste

❖ Arrhenius acid is a substance that produces H+ (H3O+)in water

HCl H+ + Cl-

❖ Arrhenius base is a substance that produces OH- in water

NaOH Na+ + OH-
Brønsted-Lowry Theory of Acids and Bases

A Brønsted acid is a proton donor

A Brønsted base is a proton acceptor

acid base
-
HCl + H2O H3O+ + Cl
Hydronium ion

base acid
base -
NH3 + H2O +
NH4 + OH
Strong and Weak Acids
• Strong acids ionize completely
HCl (aq) → H+ (aq) + Cl- (aq)
✓ In a solution of 1 M HCl, there is 1M H+ and 1M Cl-
✓ One headed arrow means no HCl is left un-ionized

• Weak acids ionize only partially

HCN (aq) ⇌ H+ (aq) + CN- (aq)
HF (aq) ⇌ H+ (aq) + F- (aq)
CH3COOH ⇌ H+ + CH3COO-
✓ Double headed arrow means the reaction is moving in both directions
 Monoprotic Acid, that is produce only one
+
proton (H ) upon ionization

Monoprotic acids
HCl H+ + Cl- Strong electrolyte, strong acid

HNO3 H+ + NO3- Strong electrolyte, strong acid

CH3COOH H+ + CH3COO- Weak electrolyte, weak acid

Note:
Keep in mind, that both H+ and H3O+ represent the
same species in aqueous solution.
❖ Diprotic Acid
Sulfuric acid (H2SO4) is a diprotic acid, because each unit of
the acid gives up two H+ ions, in two separate steps:

H2SO4 is a strong electrolyte or strong acid, but HSO4− is a

weak acid or weak electrolyte

❖ Triprotic acids, which yield three H+ ions, are relatively few in

number. The best known triprotic acid is phosphoric acid, whose
ionizations are:

All three species (H3PO4, H2PO4−, and HPO42−) in this case are weak
acids.
Strong and Weak Bases
• Strong bases ionize completely
NaOH (s) → Na+ (aq) + OH- (aq)
Ca(OH)2 → Ca2+ (aq) + 2 OH- (aq)
✓ In a solution of 1 M NaOH, there is 1M Na+ and 1M OH-
✓ One headed arrow means no NaOH is left un-ionized.

• Weak bases ionize only partially

NH3 (aq) + H2O ⇌ NH4+ (aq) + OH- (aq)
CH3NH2 (aq) + H2O ⇌ CH3NH3+ (aq) + OH- (aq)
✓ Double headed arrow means the reaction is moving in both directions
Common
Strong
Acids and
Bases
Acid-Base Reaction (Neutralization Reaction)

acid + base salt + water

1. Strong acid ― Strong bases

HCl (aq) + NaOH (aq) NaCl (aq) + H2O (l)

H+ + Cl- + Na+ + OH- Na+ + Cl- + H2O

Net ionic equation H+ (aq) + OH- (aq) H2O (l)

Both Na+ and Cl- are spectator ions

2. Weak acid ― Strong bases

HCN (aq) + NaOH (aq) NaCN (aq) + H2O

HCN + Na+ + OH- Na+ + CN- + H2O
Net ionic equation

HCN (aq) + OH- (aq) CN- (aq) + H2O (l)

Only Na+ is a spectator ions

 3. Strong acid ― Weak bases

Note: Weak base NH3(aq) = NH3/H2O = NH4OH

HNO3 (aq) + NH3(aq) NH4NO3 (aq)

H+ + NO3- + NH3 NH4+ + NO3-

Net ionic equation H+ + NH3 NH4+

HNO3 (aq) + NH4OH(aq) H2O (l) + NH4NO3(aq)

H+ + NO3- + NH4OH H2O (l) + NH4+ + NO3-

Net ionic equation H+ + NH4OH H2O + NH4+

 ➢ Write the net ionic equation for the reaction of
hydrochloric acid nitrate with sodium carbonate.

Note: Na2CO3 is a basic salt and acts as a base

2HCl (aq) + Na2CO3(aq) 2NaCl (aq) + H2O(l) +CO2(g)

2H+ + 2Cl- + 2Na+ + CO32- 2Na+ + 2Cl- + H2O + CO2

Net ionic equation

2H+ + CO32- H2O + CO2

Write molecular, ionic, and net ionic equations for each of the
following acid-base reactions:
(a) hydrobromic acid(aq) + barium hydroxide(aq) ⟶
Write molecular, ionic, and net ionic equations for each of the
following acid-base reactions:
(b) sulfuric acid(aq) + potassium hydroxide(aq) ⟶
Example
Write a net ionic equation for each of the following reactions in aqueous solutions.
(a) Hypochlorous acid (HClO) and calcium hydroxide.
(b) Ammonia with perchloric acid (HClO4).
(c) Hydriodic acid (HI) with sodium hydroxide.

(a)

Net ionic equation

(b)

Net ionic equation

(c)

Net ionic equation

 Acid-Base Reactions Leading to Gas Formation

Carbonic acid is unstable and if present in solution in sufficient

concentrations
decomposes as follows:
4.5 Concentration of Solutions
➢ The concentration of a solution is the amount of solute
present in a given quantity of solvent or solution.
Molarity or Molar Concentration (M)
The number of moles of solute per liter of
solution (mole/L)
moles of solute n
M = =
volume of solution (L) V(L)

n = m(g)/MM
mass of solute (g) m(g)
M = =
MM X Volume of solution(L) MM x V(L)
Example:
What mass of KI is required to make 500 mL of a 2.80 M KI solution?
(molar mass of KI = 166) m(g)
M=
MM x V(L)
m(g) = M x MM x V(L) = 2.80 x 166 x 0.5 = 232 g

Example 4.7:
How many grams of potassium dichromate (K2Cr2O7) are required to
prepare a 250 mL solution whose concentration is 2.16 M?
(The molar mass of K2Cr2O7 is 294.2 g)
m(g) = M x MM x V(L) = 2.16 x 294.2 x 0.25 = 159 g
Example 4.8:
A chemist needs to add 3.81 g of glucose to a reaction mixture.
Calculate the volume in milliliters of a 2.53 M glucose solution she should use
for the addition. (MM of C6H12O6 = 180.2 g )
m(g) 3.81
Answer = V(L) = = = 0.00836 L
MM x M 180.2 x 2.53
= 8.36 mL
❖ Square brackets [ ] are used to indicate concentration in M
ex., 1.2 M Na+ can be written as [Na+] = 1.2 M

M=[ ]
• Ex., For 0.1 M MgCl2 solution
H2O
MgCl2 (s) Mg2+ (aq) + 2 Cl- (aq)
➢ Total number of moles of ions per mole of MgCl2 is 3.

[Mg2+] = 0.1 M [Cl-] = 2 x 0.1 = 0.2 M

• Ex., For 0.2 M Cr2 (SO4)3 solution

H2O
Cr2 (SO4)3 (s) 2Cr3+ (aq) + 3SO42- (aq)
➢ Total number of moles of ions per mole of Cr2 (SO4)3 is 5

[Cr3+] = 2 x 0.2 = 0.4 M [SO42-] = 3 x 0.2 = 0.6 M

Example
Potassium dichromate, K2Cr2O7, is used in the
tanning of leather. A flask containing 125 mL of
solution is labeled 0.145 M K2Cr2O7.
a) What is the molarity of each ion in solution?
b) A sample containing 0.200 moles of K+ is added to
the solution. Assuming no volume change, what is
the molarity of the new solution
Solution
K2Cr2O7(s) → 2 K+ (aq) + Cr2O72- (aq)
a) M 2M M
Molarity of K+ , [K+ ]= 2 X 0.145 = 0.290 mol/L = 0.290 M
Molarity of Cr2O72- , [Cr2O72- ]= = 0.145 mol/L = 0.145 M

b)

[Cr2O72- ]= ½ [K+ ] = 1.89/2 = 0.945 M

Preparing a Solution of Known Concentration

(2)

(4)

(3)
(1)

40
 Preparing one liter of 0.100 M potassium chromate.
❖ The weighed K2CrO4 (19.4 g) is transferred to a 1000 mL volumetric flask.
❖ Enough water is added to fully dissolve all of the solid by swirling.
❖ The final step is to shake the flask repeatedly until a homogeneous solution
is formed.
Add small amount
of water and stir to
dissolve

Meniscus
Example
A bottle containing 75.0 mL of nitric acid (HNO3)
solution is labeled 6.0 M HNO3.
a) How many moles of HNO3 are in the bottle?
b) A reaction needs 5.00 g of HNO3. How many mL of
solution are required? [MM (HNO3)= 63.02 g/mol)]
c) 10 mL of water are added to the solution. What is
the molarity of the resulting solution?
Solution
a) M = 6, V = 75 mL = 0.075 L, n=?
M = n/VL 6 = n / 0.075 n = 0.45 mol
b) M = 6 m = 5 g, MM = 63.02 V=?L
m (g) 5 (g)
M= MM X V(L) 6=
63.02 X V(L)
V = .013 L = 13 mL
c) Now total volume is V = 75 + 10 = 85 mL = 0.085 L,
n = 0.45 mol, M = ?
M = n/VL M = 0.45 / 0.085 = 5.3 mol/L = 5.3 M
N.B. The molarity of a solution decreases when water is added to
the solution, but the moles of solute in solution remain the
same.
Dilution of Solutions

Dilution is the procedure for preparing a diluted solution

from a concentrated solution.

Dilution
initial = i final = f
Add Solvent

Moles of solute Moles of solute

before dilution (i) = after dilution (f)
MiVi = MfVf
Example 4.9
Describe how you would prepare 5.00 × 102 mL of a 1.75 M H2SO4
solution, starting with an 8.61 M stock solution of H2SO4.
Mi Vi = Mf Vf

(8.61 M)(Vi) = (1.75 M)(5.00 × 102 mL)

MfVf 1.75 x 5.00 × 102

Vi = = = 102 mL = 0.102 L
Mi 8.61
Thus, we must dilute 102 mL of the 8.61 M H2SO4 solution with sufficient water to
give a final volume of 5.00 × 102 mL in a 500-mL volumetric flask to obtain the
desired concentration.
Example:
How would you prepare 60.0 mL of 0.2 M HNO3 from a stock
solution of 4.00 M HNO3?
MiVi = MfVf

Mi = 4.00 Mf = 0.200 Vf = 0.06 L Vi = ? L

MfVf 0.200 x 0.06

Vi = = = 0.003 L = 3 mL
Mi 4.00
Dilute 3.00 mL of acid with water to a total volume of 60.0 mL.

3 mL of acid + 57 mL of water = 60 mL of solution

Example:
A stock solution of CuSO4 is prepare by adding 40 g of CuSO4 to
enough water to make 500 mL of solution
a) Find the molarity of the CuSO4 stock solution
b) How would you prepare 1.5 L of 0.1 M solution from the
stock solution. [MM = 159.6]

Mass (g) 40 x 1000 = 0.5 M

a) M= =
159.6 x 500
MM X V(L)

b) Mi = 0.5 Mf = 0.1 Vf = 1.5 L Vi = ? L

MiVi = MfVf MfVf 0.200 x 0.06

Vi = = = 0.3 L = 300 mL
Mi 4.00
300 mL of stok + 1200 mL of water = 1500 mL of solution
(1.5 L)
Exercise
4.7 Acid-Base Titrations
❖ It is a dropwise addition of a solution of known concentration to
another solution of unknown concentration until the chemical
reaction between the two solutions is complete.

➢ Equivalence point – the point at which the reaction is complete

➢ Indicator – substance that changes color at equivalence point

Slowly add base

to unknown acid
UNTIL
the indicator
changes color
 a acid + b base salte + water
❖ At the Equivalence point: Molar ratio = (a/b)
Millimoles acid = Millimoles base X Molar ratio
(M X VmL) acid = (M X VmL) base X (a/b)

Example
What volume of a 1.42 M NaOH solution is required to
neutralize 25 mL of a 4.50 M H2SO4 solution?

H2SO4 + 2 NaOH 2H2O + Na2SO4

(4.5 X 25 mL) acid = (1.42 X VmL) base X (1/2)
V = 158 mL
 Example: A 20 mL sample of HCl is titrated with 25 mL of
0.2 M Ba(OH)2. What is the molarity of the acid?
2 HCl + Ba(OH)2 2H2O + BaCl2
(M X 20 mL) acid = (0.2 X 25 mL) base X (2/1)

M = 0.5 mol/L
Example: pure Na2CO3 sample is reacted with 32.7 mL of 0.2
M HCl solution. Calculate the mass of Na2CO3 (MM = 106)?
2 HCl + Na2CO3 H2O + 2NaCl + CO2
(0.2 X 32.7 mL) acid = (Millimoles) base X (2/1)
Millimoles (Na2CO3)= 3.27 Millimoles = 3.27 x 10-3 moles
mass (g)= Moles X MM = 3.27 x 10-3 X106 = 0.347 g
Example:
A 35 mL of 0.35 M Ca(OH)2 is reacted with 40 mL H3PO4.
Find is the molarity of the acidic solution and the mass of
H3PO4?

2 H3PO4 + 3 Ca(OH)2 6H2O + Ca3(PO4)2

(M X 40 mL) acid = (0.35 X 35 mL) base X (2/3)

M = 0.2 mol/L

M =
Mass (g)
MM X VL

Mass = M X VL X MM = 0.2 X 0.04 L X 98 = 0.784 g

Example 4.11
In a titration experiment, a student finds that 23.48 mL of a NaOH
solution are needed to neutralize 0.5468 g of KHP. What is the
concentration (in molarity) of the NaOH solution?

Answer = 0.1141 M

Example 4.12
The sodium hydroxide solution standardized in Example 4.11 is used
to titrate 25.00 mL of a sulfuric acid solution. The titration requires
43.79 mL of the 0.1172 M NaOH solution to completely neutralize
the acid. What is the concentration of the H2SO4 solution?

Answer = 0.1026 M H2SO4

 4.4 Oxidation/reduction (Redox) Reactions
❖ Oxidation is a loss of electrons; electrons are on the right
of the equation; oxidation number increase

❖ Reduction is a gain of electrons; Electrons are on the left

of the equation oxidation number decrease

• The reaction represented by two half-reactions.

Oxidation: Zn (s) → Zn2+ (aq) + 2 e−

Reduction: Cu2+ (aq) + 2 e− → Cu (s)

Overall: Cu2+ (aq) + Zn (s) → Cu (s) + Zn2+ (aq)

❑ Oxidation and reduction must occur together

❑ The number of electrons on each side of the equation must be equal
 Zn (s) + CuSO4 (aq) ZnSO4 (aq) + Cu (s)
Zn Zn2+ + 2e- Zn is oxidized

Zn is the reducing agent (electrons donor)

Cu2+ + 2e- Cu Cu2+ is reduced

Cu2+ is the oxidizing agent (electrons acceptor)

Copper wire reacts with silver nitrate to form silver metal.

What is the oxidizing agent in the reaction?
Cu (s) + 2AgNO3 (aq) Cu(NO3)2 (aq) + 2Ag (s)
Cu Cu2+ + 2e-
Ag+ + 1e- Ag Ag+ is reduced Ag+ is the oxidizing agent
Oxidation Number OR Oxidation State
The charge the atom would have in a molecule (or an
ionic compound) if electrons were completely transferred.

Rules to assign oxidation numbers:

1. Free element or molecules have an oxidation number of zero.

Na, Be, K, Pb, H2, O2, Cl2 = 0

2. In monatomic ions, the oxidation number is equal to the charge on the ion.
Li+, Li = +1; Fe3+, Fe = +3; S2-, S = -2

3. The oxidation number of hydrogen (H) is +1 except when it is bonded to

metals in binary compounds (hydride). In these cases, its oxidation number
is –1. ex. LiH, CaH2
 5. The oxidation number of oxygen is –2. Except In peroxide(O22- ) like
H2O2 it is –1.

6. Group IA metals are +1, IIA metals are +2 and fluorine is always –1.

7. The sum of the oxidation numbers of all the atoms in a molecule or ion is
equal to the charge on the molecule or ion.

8. Oxidation numbers do not have to be integers. Oxidation number

of oxygen in the superoxide ion, O2-, is –½.

HCO3-
What are the oxidation numbers O = –2 H = +1
of all the elements in HCO3- ?
3x(–2) + 1 + ? = –1
C = +4
What are the oxidation numbers of all the elements in each of
these compounds? NaIO3 IF7 K2Cr2O7

➢ NaIO3 Na = +1 O = -2 3x(-2) + 1 + ? = 0 I = +5

➢ IF7 F = -1 7x(-1) + ? = 0 I = +7
Iodine heptafluoride

➢ K2Cr2O7 O = -2 K = +1 7x(-2) + 2x(+1) + 2x(?) = 0

Cr = +6
What are the oxidation numbers of all the elements Mn and S in
these compounds? MnO4- S2O32-

2 S = +4
➢ S2O32- 3x(-2) + 2x(?) = -2 S = +2

➢ MnO4- 4x(-2) + ? = -1 Mn = +7

Assign oxidation states:

+3 +2 -2 0 +4 -2
D
Fe2O3(s) + 3 CO(g) → 2 Fe(l) + 3 CO2(g)
Fe3+ is reduced to metallic iron.
CO(g) is oxidized to carbon dioxide.
Identify oxidized and reduced

• Mn is reduced from +7 to +2
– Net gain of 5 electrons
• Br is oxidized from -1 to 0
– Net loss of 1 electron

+7 -1 +2 0

- - 2+
MnO (aq ) + 2 Br (aq ) → Mn (aq ) + Br2 (aq )
4
 Try These!!

+1 = Fe 2+ is oxidized (reducing agent)

5 Fe2+ + MnO4- + 8 H+ → 5 Fe3+ + Mn2+ + 4 H2O

- 5 = Mn 7+ is reduced (oxidizing agent)

+2 = Zn 0 is oxidized (reducing agent)

Zn + 2 HCl → ZnCl2 + H2

- 1 = H 1+ is reduced (oxidizing agent)

What is oxidized and reduced?
What are the oxidizing and reducing agents?
3Br2 + 2AlI3 2AlBr3 + 3I2

0 +3 -1 +3 -1 0
3Br2 + 2AlI3 2AlBr3 + 3I2

Br2 is reduced and is the oxidizing agent

I-1 is oxidized and is the reducing agent
What is oxidized and reduced?
What are the oxidizing and reducing agents?
0 +1 +2 0
Sr + 2H2O Sr(OH)2 + H2
+4 0 0 +2
TiCl4 + 2Mg Ti + 2MgCl2
0 -1 -1 0
Cl2 + 2KBr 2KCl + Br2
Exercise
What is oxidized and reduced?
What are the oxidizing and reducing agents?

Mg + CuSO4 MgSO4 + Cu

2K + Br2 2KBr

Cu + 2AgNO3 Cu(NO3)2 + 2Ag

 Types of Redox Reactions
The different types of redox reactions are:

Decomposition Reaction
Combination Reaction
Displacement Reaction
Disproportionation Reactions
 A disproportionation reaction

A disproportionation reaction is a reaction in which, the same element

is simultaneously oxidized and reduced. In this type of reaction, a
single substance gives two product, one is oxidized while the other is
reduced.
Steps For Balancing Redox Reaction without
separating the equation
1) Mass balance for all elements except H and O
2) Assign oxidation state
3) Balance total number of electrons by multiplication
4) Charge balance by adding H+ (acidic) or (basic) OH-
5) Hydrogen balance by adding H2O to side deficient
Balance the following equation in acidic medium

- - 2+
MnO + Br → Mn + Br2
4
➢ STEP 1: Mass balance
We need to double the Br- ions on the L.H.S. to balance the equation
- - 2+
MnO + 2 Br → Mn + Br2
4

➢ STEP 2: Assign oxidation state

- - 2+
MnO + 2 Br → Mn + Br2
4
Mn = +7 2Br = ‒ 2 Mn = +2 Br2 = 0

Red (+ 5 e) Oxd (‒ 2e) X5

X2
➢ STEP 3: Electrons balance by multiplying to equalize
We need to multiply the Br half equation by 5 and Mn half equation
by 2. Now the total no., of electrons are 10 and they are canceled.
- - 2+
2MnO + 10 Br → 2Mn + 5Br2
4
➢ STEP 4: Charge balance by adding H+
Charges L.H.S = -12 Charges R.H.S = +4
We need to add 16 H+ to L.H.S
2MnO4- + 10 Br - + 16 H + → 2Mn 2+ + 5Br2

➢ STEP 5: Hydrogen Balance by adding H2O

We need to add 8 H2O to R.H.S
2MnO4- + 10 Br - + 16 H + → 2Mn 2+ + 5Br2 + 8H 2O
 Balance the following equation in basic medium

- -
MnO + I → MnO 2 + I 2
4
➢ STEP 1: Mass balance
We need to double the Br- ions on the L.H.S. to balance the equation
-
MnO + 2 I → MnO 2 + I 2
4

➢ STEP 2: Assign oxidation state

- -
MnO + 2 I → MnO 2 + I 2
4
Mn = +7 2I = ‒ 2 Mn = +4 I2 = 0

Red (+ 3 e) X2 Oxd (‒ 2e) X3

➢ STEP 3: Electrons balance by multiplying to equalize
We need to multiply the I half equation by 3 and Mn half equation
by 2. Now the total no., of electrons are 6 and they are canceled.
- -
2MnO + 6 I → 2MnO 2 + 6 I 2
4

➢ STEP 4: Charge balance by adding OH-

Charges L.H.S = -8 Charges R.H.S = 0
We need to add 8 OH- to R.H.S
2MnO4- + 6 I - → 2MnO 2 + 3I 2 + 8OH -
➢ STEP 5: Hydrogen Balance by adding H2O
We need to add 8 H2O to R.H.S
2MnO4- + 6 I - + 4 H 2O → 2MnO 2 + 3I 2 + 8OH -
Write the balanced equation for the following reactions.

(1) Fe2+ + MnO4- Fe3+ + Mn2+ (in acidic solution)

(2) Fe2+ + Cr2O72- Fe3+ + Cr3+ (in acidic solution)

(3) Bi(OH)3 + SnO22- Bi + SnO32- (in basic solution)

End of Chapter 4