Balance the following redox equation and identify the element oxidized, the element reduced, the oxidizing agent, and the reducing agent. Show all of the work used to solve the problem.
NO2- + Al AlO2- + NH3
Thanks :)
exactly were did the H come from?
To balance the redox equation and identify the element oxidized, the element reduced, the oxidizing agent, and the reducing agent, we need to follow a series of steps:
Step 1: Assign oxidation numbers to all the atoms in the equation.
In this equation, we can see that Al goes from an oxidation number of 0 on the left-hand side to +2 on the right-hand side, making it the element that is oxidized.
Meanwhile, N in NO2- goes from +3 to +4, so it is reduced.
Step 2: Write half-reactions for both the oxidation and reduction processes.
The oxidation half-reaction is:
Al ⟶ AlO2-
The reduction half-reaction is:
NO2- ⟶ NH3
Step 3: Balance the atoms in each half-reaction by adding water (H2O) and hydrogen ions (H+), if necessary.
In this case, we don't need to add any additional atoms to balance the half-reactions.
Step 4: Balance the charges by adding electrons (e-) to either side of the half-reactions.
For the oxidation half-reaction, we need to add 2 electrons to the left side:
Al ⟶ AlO2- + 2e-
For the reduction half-reaction, we need to add 2 electrons to the right side:
NO2- + 2e- ⟶ NH3
Step 5: Balance the number of electrons transferred in both half-reactions by multiplying the half-reactions by appropriate coefficients, so that the number of electrons lost in oxidation is equal to the number gained in reduction.
After adjusting the coefficients, we get the balanced half-reactions:
2Al ⟶ 2AlO2- + 4e-
NO2- + 2e- ⟶ NH3
Step 6: Combine the balanced half-reactions by multiplying each half-reaction by an appropriate coefficient so that the number of electrons cancels out.
To ensure the cancellation of electrons, we multiply the oxidation half-reaction by 2 and the reduction half-reaction by 4:
4Al + 4NO2- + 8e- ⟶ 4AlO2- + 8e- + 4NH3
After canceling out the electrons, we get the balanced and complete redox equation:
4Al + 4NO2- ⟶ 4AlO2- + 4NH3
Now, let's identify the element oxidized, the element reduced, the oxidizing agent, and the reducing agent:
Element oxidized: Al
Element reduced: N
Oxidizing agent: NO2-
Reducing agent: Al
Thus, Al is oxidized, N is reduced, NO2- is the oxidizing agent, and Al is the reducing agent in the given redox equation.