Balancing Oxidation-Reduction Reactions in Acidic and A Basic Solutions

To tackle more complex oxidation-reduction reactions in acidic and basic solutions, we need to review and discuss the essential information required to describe an oxidation-reduction reaction, which is called a skeleton equation. To set up the skeleton equation and then balance it, you need answers to the following questions  

What species is being oxidized (or, what is the reducing agent) What species is 

What species result from the oxidation and reduction  

Does the reaction occur in acidic or basic solution  

We have written oxidation numbers over the appropriate atoms. Note that the skeleton equation is not balanced. Nor is it complete in an acidic, aqueous solution H (a ) and H20(0 may be possible reactants or products in the equation. (If this were a basic solution, OH ion would replace the ion.) 

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