CHEM 1A03 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Reducing Agent, Antiseptic, Hydrogen Peroxide

• School: McMaster University
• Department: Chemistry
• Course: CHEM 1A03
• Professor: Lydia Chen

Document Summary

Nitrogen can range from -3 (nh3) to +5 (no3-) When in negative ox state, species has abundance of electrons, can lose them more easily that species with more positive ox number, which is electron deficient/want to gain electrons. Ox numbers of atoms may change over course of a reaction (from reactant to product) Reducing agent: reduces & gets oxidized; oxidizing agent: oxidizes & gets reduced. Agents are always on reactant side of equation. Can express oxidation/reduction processes as half reactions. If atoms are oxidized, write electrons as products. Element gets oxidized and reduced, i. e. acts as oxidizing and reducing agent. Misconceptions: oxidation and reduction reactions occur at same place on metal, cu directly donate electrons to ag+ In actuality: cu could lose electrons anywhere along the solid, electrons travel through cu, then through ag, finally reacting with ag+ Results in un-uniform cu erosion and ag production. Spontaneous reaction, does not require energy input. Harness energy released by spontaneous redox reactions.