1)In the reaction O2+2F2--> 2 OF2, F2 is the oxidizer.
2)F can't have positive oxidation states.
Does 2 explains the reason for the 1st one or is it because because of F's higher electronegativity?
Aren't both right?
F goes from zero on the left to -1 on the right which is a gain of electrons. A gain of electrons is reduction which makes it the oxidizing agent. I assume "oxidizer" means oxidizing agent. Since F2 has the highest electronegativity of any element, it can't be positive.
Or are they both reasons(as they are related)
Yes...Both of them are right.
But the answer key has taken that 2nd statement doesn't explain the 1st.That's what I've being thinking about...
Frankly, I think that is being a little picky. If 2 doesn't explain 1, then you and I MUST ALREADY KNOW that we intend to assign F a negative 1. If we don't already know that then 2 tells us that we should be assigning F a -1. I would be inclined to argue with the key because of the semantics.
The reason for the first statement, "F2 is the oxidizer in the reaction O2+2F2 --> 2OF2," is primarily due to the higher electronegativity of fluorine (F) compared to oxygen (O).
Oxidizers, also known as oxidizing agents or oxidants, are substances that can accept electrons from other elements in a chemical reaction. They facilitate oxidation by causing the other substance to lose electrons. In this reaction, the fluorine atoms in F2 are able to accept electrons from the oxygen atoms in O2, causing the oxygen atoms to become oxidized. This leads to the formation of OF2.
The second statement, "F can't have positive oxidation states," is a relevant fact that contributes to the understanding of why F2 acts as an oxidizing agent in this reaction.
Elements tend to have characteristic oxidation states, which represent the charges that atoms would have if all the electrons were either gained or lost. Fluorine, being the most electronegative element, has a strong tendency to attract electrons towards itself, resulting in a high electronegativity value. This means that fluorine prefers to gain electrons and have a negative oxidation state rather than lose electrons and have a positive oxidation state.
Since fluorine cannot easily lose electrons to form positive oxidation states, it tends to act as an electron acceptor (oxidizer) in chemical reactions. In the reaction mentioned, fluorine gains electrons from the oxygen atoms, causing the oxygen atoms to be oxidized.
Therefore, while the second statement about F not having positive oxidation states does provide some insight into the behavior of F2 as an oxidizer, the primary reason for F2 being the oxidizer in the given reaction is the higher electronegativity of F compared to O.