THREE MAJOR CLASSES OF

CHEMICAL REACTIONS – PART I

 WATER AS POLAR SOLVENT

A solution consists of a smaller quantity of one substance, the solute, dissolved in a larger quantity of another,
the solvent.
In an aqueous solution, water serves as the solvent.
Water’s great solvent power arises from the uneven distribution of electron charge and its bent molecular
shape, which create a polar molecule.
Due to its polar nature, water interacts strongly with its solutes and often plays an active role in aqueous
reactions.
 WATER AS POLAR SOLVENT

Water separates the ions by replacing these attractions with others between several water molecules and each
ion. In the picture below, a granule of a soluble ionic compound in water: the negative ends of some water
molecules are attracted to the cations, and the positive ends of other water molecules are attracted to the
anions
 Molarity or Concentration

When working quantitatively with any solution, it is essential to know the concentration. The concentration of a
solution is given by the quantity of solute present in a given quantity of solution.
Concentration is independent of the solution volume: a 50-L tank of a solution has the same concentration
(solute quantity/solution quantity) as a 50-mL beaker of the solution.
Molarity (M) is often used to express concentration and is the most common unit of concentration. It expresses
the concentration in units of moles of solute per liter of solution -

moles of solute mol

Molarity = M =
liters of solution L
 Preparing and Diluting Molar Solutions

A concentrated solution (higher molarity) is converted to a dilute solution (lower molarity) by adding solvent,
which means the solution volume increases but the amount (mol) of solute stays the same. As a result, the
dilute solution contains fewer solute particles per unit volume and, thus, has a lower concentration than the
concentrated solution.
To solve dilution problems, we use the fact that the amount (mol) of solute does not change during the dilution
process.

M1V1 = M2V2
MdVd = McVc
 Total and Net Ionic Equations

The molecular equation reveals the least about the species that are actually in solution because it shows all the
reactants and products as if they were intact, undissociated compounds. Only the designation for solid, (s), tells
us that a change has occurred:

The total ionic equation is much more accurate because it shows all the soluble ionic substances as they actually
exist in solution, where they are dissociated into ions.
 Total and Net Ionic Equations

Spectator ions are not involved in the actual chemical change. Spectator ions appear unchanged on both sides of the total ionic
equation.
2Ag+(aq) + 2NO3–(aq) + 2Na+(aq) + CrO42–(aq) → Ag2CrO4(s) + 2Na+(aq) + 2NO3–(aq)

The net ionic equation eliminates the spectator ions and shows only the actual chemical change.

2Ag+(aq) + CrO42–(aq) → Ag2CrO4(s)

A molecular equation shows all substances intact and undissociated into ions. A total ionic equation shows all soluble ionic compounds as
separate, solvated ions.
Spectator ions appear unchanged on both sides of the equation. A net ionic equation eliminates the spectator ions and, thus, shows only
the actual chemical change.
 Precipitation Reaction

In a precipitation reaction two soluble ionic compounds react to give an insoluble product, called a precipitate.
The key event in a precipitation reaction is the formation of an insoluble product through the net removal of
ions from solution

A precipitation reaction is also known as a metathesis or double displacement reaction.

 Class Activity
1. What is the amount (mol) of each ion is in 35 mL of 0.84 M zinc chloride?
2. “Isotonic saline” is a 0.15 M aqueous solution of NaCl. How many liters of 6.0 M stock
solution would you need to prepare 0.80 L of isotonic saline?
 Acid-Base Neutralization

These reactions involve water as reactant or product.

An acid-base reaction is also called a neutralization reaction - occurs when an acid reacts with a base.
An acid is a substance that produces H+ ions when dissolved in H2O

A base is a substance that produces OH− ions when dissolved in H2O.

 Acid-Base Neutralization

Strong Acid or Strong Base: Dissociates completely into ions

Weak Acid or Weak Base: Does NOT dissociate completely
 Acids and Bases as Electrolytes

Strong acids and strong bases dissociate completely into ions in aqueous solution. They are strong electrolytes
and conduct well in solution.
Weak acids and weak bases dissociate very little into ions in aqueous solution. They are weak electrolytes and
conduct poorly in solution.
 Acid-Base Titrations

In a titration, the concentration of one solution is used to determine the concentration of another.
An acid-base indicator has different colors in acid and base, and is used to monitor the progress of a titration
experiment.
At the equivalence point, the mol of H+ from the acid equals the mol of OH− ion produced by the base. i.e. pH
of the solution = 7
The end point occurs when there is a slight excess of base and the indicator changes color permanently. i.e.
pH is slightly greater than 7
Acid-Base Titrations
 Class Activity
1. Write balanced, total and net ionic equations for the following reactions:
a) hydriodic acid (aq) + calcium hydroxide (aq) →
b) potassium hydroxide (aq) + propanoic acid (aq) →
For (b), note that propanoic acid (CH3CH2COOH) is a weak acid. So it is shown as NOT dissociated into ions.)

2. A 50.00 mL sample of HCl is titrated with 0.1524 M NaOH. The burette containing NaOH reads
0.55 mL at the beginning and 33.87 mL at the end point. Find the molarity of the HCl solution.
 Reduction-Oxidation (Redox) Reaction

The key chemical event in a redox reaction is the net movement of electrons from one reactant to another or
simply put it involves electron transfer. Redox reaction is where oxidation and reduction occur together.

Oxidation is the loss of electrons while Reduction is the gain of electrons.

Alternatively, oxidation refers to the increase in oxidation number while reduction refers to the decrease in
oxidation number.
A reducing agent loses electrons and gets oxidized.
An oxidizing agent gains electrons and gets reduced.
 Reduction-Oxidation (Redox) Reaction

To monitor which atom loses electron charge and which atom gains it, each atom in a molecule (or formula unit)
is assigned an oxidation number (O.N.) - oxidation state, which is the charge the atom would have if electrons
were transferred completely.

2Mg(s) + O2(g) → 2MgO(s) ???

If an atom has a higher (more positive or less negative) O.N. in the product than it had in the reactant, the
reactant that contains that atom was oxidized (lost electrons) and is the reducing agent. Thus, oxidation is shown
by an increase in O.N.
If an atom has a lower (more negative or less positive) O.N. in the product than it had in the reactant, the
reactant that contains that atom was reduced (gained electrons) and is the oxidizing agent. Thus, reduction is
shown by a decrease in O.N.
Rules for Assigning an Oxidation Number (O.N.)
 Rules for Assigning an Oxidation Number (O.N.)
An O.N. has the sign before the number (e.g., +2), whereas an ionic charge has the sign after the number (e.g.,
2+).
Also, unlike a unitary ionic charge, as in Na+ or Cl-, an O.N. of +1 or -1. For example, we don’t write the sodium
ion as Na1+, but the O.N. of the sodium ion is ‘+1’, not ‘+’.
 Types of Redox Reactions
1. Combination Reaction: Two or more reactants combine to form a new compound: X + Y → Z

2. Decomposition Reaction: A single compound decomposes to form two or more products: Z → X + Y

3. Displacement Reaction: Metathesis or double displacement: AB + CD → AD + CB;

Single displacement: X + YZ → XZ + Y

4. Combustion Reaction: The process of burning in O2: 2Mg(s) + O2(g) → 2MgO(s)

 Class Activity
1. Determine the oxidation number of each element in these species:
a) zinc chloride, ZnCl2 b) sulfur trioxide, SO3
c) nitric acid, HNO3 d) dichromate ion, Cr2O72−
2. Use oxidation numbers to decide whether the following is a redox reaction. If so, then identify
the oxidizing agent and the reducing agent.
2Al (s) + 3H2SO4 (aq) → Al2(SO4)3 (aq) + 3H2 (g)
3. Classify the following redox reaction as a combination, decomposition, or displacement
reaction. Write a balanced molecular equation, and identify the oxidizing and reducing agents.
Al (s) + Pb(NO3)2 (aq) → Al(NO3)3 (aq) + Pb (s)
 Reactivity Series of Metals
Metals are ranked by their ability to displace hydrogen or others metals from solution.
In all displacements of H2, the metal is the reducing agent (O.N. increases), and water or acid is the oxidizing
agent (O.N. of H decreases).
Reactivity Series of Metals

1. The most reactive metals displace H2

from water.
2. Less reactive metals displace H2 from
acids.
3. Least reactive metals cannot displace
H2 from any source.
4. An atom of one metal displaces the
ion of another.