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Chapter 20: Problem 14

(a) What is meant by the term reduction? (b) On which side of a reduction half-reaction do the electrons appear? (c) What is meant by the term reductant? (d) What is meant by the term reducing agent?

Short Answer

Expert verified
(a) Reduction is a process in which a molecule, atom, or ion gains electrons occurring in redox reactions. (b) In reduction half-reactions, electrons appear on the left side of the equation. (c) A reductant is a substance in a redox reaction that reduces another substance by providing it with electrons. (d) A reducing agent is a substance that reduces another substance by donating electrons during a redox reaction and becomes oxidized in the process.

Step by step solution

01

(a) Define reduction

In chemistry, reduction is a process in which a molecule, atom, or ion gains electrons. Reduction is a half-reaction that happens at the same time as the oxidation half-reaction, as part of redox (reduction-oxidation) reactions. In redox reactions, the substance that gains electrons gets reduced while the substance that loses electrons gets oxidized.
02

(b) Where do electrons appear in reduction half-reactions

In reduction half-reactions, the electrons appear on the left side of the equation, indicating that they are gained by the molecule, atom, or ion. For example, in the reduction half-reaction: \(\ce{Cu^{2+}} + 2e^- \rightarrow \ce{Cu}\), the electrons are on the left side, showing that the copper ion gains two electrons to become a neutral copper atom.
03

(c) Define reductant

A reductant, also known as a reducing agent, is a substance in a redox reaction that reduces another substance by providing it with electrons. In other words, the reductant becomes oxidized, losing electrons and causing the other substance to become reduced by gaining those electrons.
04

(d) Define reducing agent

A reducing agent, or reductant, is a substance that reduces another substance by donating electrons during a redox reaction. The reducing agent itself becomes oxidized in the process, meaning it loses electrons while the other substance gains electrons and is reduced. Reducing agents have the ability to transfer electrons from themselves to another substance, facilitating the reduction process.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

(a) Write the half-reaction that occurs at a hydrogen electrode in acidic aqueous solution when it serves as the cathode of a voltaic cell.(b) Write the half-reaction that occurs at a hydrogen electrode in acidic aqueous solution when it serves as the anode of a voltaic cell. (c) What is standard about the standard hydrogen electrode?

(a) Which electrode of a voltaic cell, the cathode or the anode, corresponds to the higher potential energy for the electrons? (b) What are the units for electrical potential? How does this unit relate to energy expressed in joules?

(a) Based on standard reduction potentials, would you expect copper metal to oxidize under standard conditions in the presence of oxygen and hydrogen ions? (b) When the Statue of Liberty was refurbished, Teflon spacers were placed between the iron skeleton and the copper metal on the surface of the statue. What role do these spacers play?

The \(K_{s p}\) value for \(\mathrm{PbS}(s)\) is \(8.0 \times 10^{-28} .\) By using this value together with an electrode potential from Appendix E, determine the value of the standard reduction potential for the reaction $$ \mathrm{PbS}(s)+2 \mathrm{e}^{-} \longrightarrow \mathrm{Pb}(s)+\mathrm{S}^{2-}(a q) $$

In the Bronsted-Lowry concept of acids and bases, acid-base reactions are viewed as proton-transfer reactions. The stronger the acid, the weaker is its conjugate base. If we were to think of redox reactions in a similar way, what particle would be analogous to the proton? Would strong oxidizing agents be analogous to strong acids or strong bases? [Sections 20.1 and 20.2\(]\)
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