In the reaction: Cu(s) + 2 Ag+(aq) ---> Cu2+(aq) + 2 Ag(s, the oxidizing agent is ?
1.Cu
2.Cu2+
3.Ag+
4.Ag
i know its Ag but is it Ag+ or just Ag? what does that extra plus mean?
It’s Ag+, I just got it wrong
whats the ans?
The extra plus means the ion. You could write the half reaction for the Ag this way.
Ag(s) ==> Ag+ + e
which means the Ag is losing an electron to become the silver +1 ion.
To determine the oxidizing agent in a redox reaction, you need to identify the species that gets reduced. In this reaction, Cu(s) is being oxidized to Cu2+(aq) and Ag+(aq) is being reduced to Ag(s).
The extra plus sign (+) represents the charge on the ion. In this case, Ag+ represents a silver ion with a charge of +1, indicating that it has lost one electron.
From the reaction, we can see that Ag+(aq) is gaining electrons and getting reduced to Ag(s), while Cu(s) is losing electrons and getting oxidized to Cu2+(aq). The species that is being reduced is the oxidizing agent.
Therefore, the oxidizing agent in the given reaction is Ag+ (option 3).