QuestionEnter electrons as .
Use smallest possible integer coefficients. If a box is not needed, leave it blank.
For the following electron-transfer reaction:
The oxidation half-reaction is:
The reduction half-reaction is:
Studdy Solution
STEP 1
What is this asking? We need to identify and write out the oxidation and reduction half-reactions for the given electron-transfer reaction. Watch out! Make sure you correctly identify which element is being oxidized and which is being reduced, and balance the charges in each half-reaction using electrons.
STEP 2
1. Assign oxidation states
2. Identify oxidation and reduction
3. Write half-reactions
4. Balance charges with electrons
STEP 3
Let's **assign oxidation states** to each element in the reaction.
Remember, pure elements have an oxidation state of **zero**.
So, has an oxidation state of **zero**, and also has an oxidation state of **zero**.
STEP 4
In the products, has an oxidation state of **+2** (it's given right there!), and each has an oxidation state of **-1**.
STEP 5
Now, let's see what's happening to our elements.
Nickel () goes from an oxidation state of **zero** to **+2**.
This increase in oxidation state means is being **oxidized**!
STEP 6
Chlorine () goes from an oxidation state of **zero** to **-1**.
This decrease in oxidation state means is being **reduced**!
STEP 7
The **oxidation half-reaction** shows what happens to the substance being oxidized.
In our case, it's nickel.
So, we write:
STEP 8
The **reduction half-reaction** shows what happens to the substance being reduced.
Here, it's chlorine.
So, we write:
Notice how we added a **2** in front of to balance the number of chlorine atoms on both sides.
STEP 9
Now, we need to **balance the charges** in each half-reaction using electrons ().
In the oxidation half-reaction, the left side has a charge of **zero**, and the right side has a charge of **+2**.
To balance this, we add **two electrons** to the right side:
STEP 10
In the reduction half-reaction, the left side has a charge of **zero**, and the right side has a charge of **-2** (two chloride ions, each with a -1 charge).
To balance this, we add **two electrons** to the left side:
STEP 11
The oxidation half-reaction is: The reduction half-reaction is:
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