Redox reactions balancing equations

We have seen how analytical calculations in titrimetric analysis involve stoichiometry (Sections 4.5 and 4.6). We know that a balanced chemical equation is needed for basic stoichiometry. With redox reactions, balancing equations by inspection can be quite challenging, if not impossible. Thus, several special schemes have been derived for balancing redox equations. The ion-electron method for balancing redox equations takes into account the electrons that are transferred, since these must also be balanced. That is, the electrons given up must be equal to the electrons taken on. A review of the ion-electron method of balancing equations will therefore present a simple means of balancing redox equations. 

Classify the following reactions as oxidation (ox), reduction (red.) or redox reactions. The equations are representative and not balanced. 

Plan Because this is a redox reaction, the equation can be balanced by the method of half-reactions discussed in Section 20.2. Thus, we begin with two half-reactions, one involving the NH2OH and N2 and the other involving Cu and Cu. 

Finding out about redox reactions Balancing redox equations Taking a look at electrochemical cells... 

In earlier sections of this chapter, we showed how to write and balance equations for precipitation reactions (Section 4.2) and acid-base reactions (Section 4.3). In this section we will concentrate on balancing redox equations, given the identity of reactants and products. To do that, it is convenient to introduce a new concept, oxidation number. 

When the potassium permanganate Is added, a redox reaction occurs (the equation for the reaction Is derived and balanced In the text). 

Because E° is a positive quantity, +0.165 V, a redox reaction should occur. The balanced half-equations are... 

Only one method for balancing redox reactions, the half-equation method introduced in Chapter 4. 

Because electrons can be neither lost nor created in a chemical reaction, all the electrons lost by the species being oxidized must be transferred to the species being reduced. Because electrons are charged, the total charge of the reactants must be the same as the total charge of the products. Therefore, when balancing the chemical equation for a redox reaction, we have to balance the charges as well as the atoms. 

Some redox reactions, particularly those involving oxoanions, have complex chemical equations that require special balancing procedures. We meet examples and see how to balance them in Chapter 12. 

When balancing the chemical equation for a redox reaction involving ions, the total charge on each side must be balanced. 

K.l Write a balanced equation for each of the following skeletal redox reactions ... 

J 3 Write and balance chemical equations for simple redox reactions (Self-Test K.4). 

K.25 The following redox reactions are important in the refining of certain elements. Balance the equations and in each case, write the name of the source compound of the element (in bold face) and the oxidation state in that compound of the element that is being extracted ... 

We need to be able to write balanced chemical equations to describe redox reactions. It might seem that this task ought to he simple. However, some redox reactions can be tricky to balance, and special techniques, which we describe in Sections 12.1 and 12.2, have been developed to simplify the procedure. 

The key to writing and balancing equations for redox reactions is to think of the reduction and oxidation processes individually. We saw in Section K that oxidation is the loss of electrons and reduction the gain of electrons. 

Balancing the chemical equation for a redox reaction by inspection can be a real challenge, especially for one taking place in aqueous solution, when water may participate and we must include HzO and either H+ or OH. In such cases, it is easier to simplify the equation by separating it into its reduction and oxidation half-reactions, balance the half-reactions separately, and then add them together to obtain the balanced equation for the overall reaction. When adding the equations for half-reactions, we match the number of electrons released by oxidation with the number used in reduction, because electrons are neither created nor destroyed in chemical reactions. The procedure is outlined in Toolbox 12.1 and illustrated in Examples 12.1 and 12.2. 

The chemical equation for a reduction half-reaction is added to the equation for an oxidation half-reaction to form the balanced chemical equation for the overall redox reaction. 

Balance chemical equations for redox reactions by the halfreaction method (Toolbox 12.1 and Examples 12.1 and 12.2). 

Write the balanced chemical equation for (a) the thermal decomposition of potassium chlorate without a catalyst (b) the reaction of bromine with water (c) the reaction between sodium chloride and concentrated sulfuric acid, (d) Identify each reaction as a Bronsted acid—base, Lewis acid—base, or redox reaction. 

Balance each of the following skeletal equations and classify the reaction as Bronstcd-I. owry acid-base, Ix wis acid-base, or redox. For both types of acid-base reactions, identify the acid and the base. For redox reactions, identify the reducing agent and the oxidizing agent. 

Redox reactions are more complicated than precipitation or proton transfer reactions because the electrons transferred in redox chemishy do not appear in the balanced chemical equation. Instead, they are hidden among the starting materials and products. However, we can keep track of electrons by writing two half-reactions that describe the oxidation and the reduction separately. A half-reaction is a balanced chemical equation that includes electrons and describes either the oxidation or reduction but not both. Thus, a half-reaction describes half of a redox reaction. Here are the half-reactions for the redox reaction of magnesium and hydronium ions ... 

C04-0112. Predict the product(s) of the following reactions by writing balanced equations. When the reaction involves ions, write a net ionic equation. Identify each reaction as precipitation, acid-base, or redox. 

Some redox reactions have relatively simple stoichiometry and can be balanced by inspection. Others are much more complicated. Because redox reactions involve the transfer of electrons from one species to another, electrical charges must be considered explicitly when balancing complicated redox equations. 

The key to balancing complicated redox equations is to balance electrons as well as atoms. Because electrons do not appear in chemical formulas or balanced net reactions, however, the number of electrons transferred in a redox reaction often is not obvious. To balance complicated redox reactions, therefore, we need a procedure that shows the electrons involved in the oxidation and the reduction. One such procedure separates redox reactions into two parts, an oxidation and a reduction. Each part is a half-reaction that describes half of the overall redox process. 

The first step In balancing a redox reaction is to divide the unbalanced equation into half-reactions. Identify the participants in each half-reaction by noting that each half-reaction must be balanced. That Is, each element In each half-reaction must be conserved. Consequently, any element that appears as a reactant In a half-reaction must also appear among the products. Hydrogen and oxygen frequently appear in both half-reactions, but other elements usually appear In just one of the half-reactions. Water, hydronium ions, and hydroxide ions often play roles In the overall stoichiometry of redox reactions occurring in aqueous solution. Chemists frequently omit these species in preliminary descriptions of such redox reactions. 

Household ammonia should never be mixed with chlorine bleach, because a redox reaction occurs that generates toxic chlorine gas and hydrazine NH3 + OCl —> CI2 + N2 H4 (unbalanced) Balance this equation. 

Remember that the number of electrons transferred is not explicitly stated in a net redox equation. This means that any overall redox reaction must be broken down into its balanced half-reactions to determine n, the ratio between the number of electrons transferred and the stoichiometric coefficients for the chemical reagents. 

The coefficients of any balanced redox equation describe the stoichiometric ratios between chemical species, just as for other balanced chemical equations. Additionally, in redox reactions we can relate moles of chemical change to moles of electrons. Because electrons always cancel in a balanced redox equation, however, we need to look at half-reactions to determine the stoichiometric coefficients for the electrons. A balanced half-reaction provides the stoichiometric coefficients needed to compute the number of moles of electrons transferred for every mole of reagent. 

The net ionic equation is obtained by balancing the redox reaction. First we determine the half-reactions ... 

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