Why doesn't potassium ion K+ from KMnO4 appear in the following two unbalanced equations: MnO4– + C2O42– Mn2+ + CO2
MnO4– + Fe2+ Mn2+ + Fe3+ ?
A. KMnO4 is not added to either reaction.
B. The presence of K+ would result in a net positive charge in the products.
C. The equations cannot be balanced if the potassium ion K+ is present.
D. K+ is a spectator ion and redox reactions are written as net ionic reactions.
E. None of these.
i think it's D
D is correct.
Yes, you are correct. The answer is D. K+ is a spectator ion and redox reactions are written as net ionic reactions.
In these two unbalanced equations, the potassium ion K+ does not appear because it is a spectator ion. A spectator ion is an ion that does not participate in the chemical reaction and remains unchanged throughout the reaction.
In both equations, the main reactions involve the transfer of electrons between the species involved. These are known as redox (reduction-oxidation) reactions. In redox reactions, it is common practice to write the reaction equations as net ionic equations, which only include the species that actually participate in the redox process.
Since K+ does not undergo any changes in its oxidation state or transfer any electrons in the reaction, it is not included in the net ionic equations. The presence of K+ does not affect the outcome of the reaction and is therefore considered a spectator ion.
So, in this case, the correct answer is D. K+ is a spectator ion, and redox reactions are written as net ionic reactions.