Each equation has to be balanced, please help
1. Erbium metal (Er) can be prepared by reacting erbium(III) fluoride with magnesium; the other product is magnesium fluoride.
(a) What substance is reduced?
(b) What is the reducing agent?
(c) What substance is oxidized?
(d) What is the oxidizing agent?
2. Europium (Eu) is used in older television screens to give a red color. The metal can be prepared by electrolysis of molten europium(III) chloride; chlorine gas is a by-product.
(a) What substance is reduced?
(b) What is the reducing agent?
(c) What substance is oxidized?
(d) What is the oxidizing agent?
1. Can you write equation? Why or why not?
2. After you have the equation, what is your problem in balancing.
3. Here is a tutorial on how to balance redox equations
http://www.chemteam.info/Redox/Redox-Rules.html
In addition to balancing this url shows how to determne oxidation states etc. You can learn a lot from this site..
To determine the substances that are reduced and oxidized, as well as the reducing and oxidizing agents in each equation, we need to look at the changes in oxidation states (or numbers) of the elements involved in the reactions.
1. Erbium metal (Er) can be prepared by reacting erbium(III) fluoride (ErF3) with magnesium (Mg); the other product is magnesium fluoride (MgF2).
(a) What substance is reduced?
To determine the substance that is reduced, we need to identify the element that undergoes a decrease in oxidation state. In this equation, erbium is going from an oxidation state of +3 in ErF3 to 0 in Er. Therefore, erbium is being reduced.
(b) What is the reducing agent?
The reducing agent is the substance that causes the reduction by losing electrons or getting oxidized. In this case, magnesium is losing electrons, going from an oxidation state of 0 to +2. Therefore, magnesium is the reducing agent.
(c) What substance is oxidized?
To determine the substance that is oxidized, we need to identify the element that undergoes an increase in oxidation state. In this equation, magnesium is going from an oxidation state of 0 to +2 in MgF2. Therefore, magnesium is being oxidized.
(d) What is the oxidizing agent?
The oxidizing agent is the substance that causes the oxidation by gaining electrons or getting reduced. In this case, erbium is gaining electrons, going from an oxidation state of +3 to 0. Therefore, erbium(III) fluoride is the oxidizing agent.
2. Europium (Eu) is used in older television screens to give a red color. The metal can be prepared by electrolysis of molten europium(III) chloride (EuCl3); chlorine gas (Cl2) is a by-product.
(a) What substance is reduced?
In this equation, europium is going from an oxidation state of +3 in EuCl3 to 0 in Eu. Therefore, europium is being reduced.
(b) What is the reducing agent?
Since the reduction involves the element europium, there is no other substance that acts as the reducing agent. Therefore, the reducing agent is not present explicitly in this equation.
(c) What substance is oxidized?
To determine the substance that is oxidized, we need to identify the element that undergoes an increase in oxidation state. In this equation, chlorine is going from an oxidation state of -1 in EuCl3 to 0 in Cl2. Therefore, chlorine is being oxidized.
(d) What is the oxidizing agent?
Since the oxidation involves the element chlorine, there is no other substance that acts as the oxidizing agent. Therefore, the oxidizing agent is not present explicitly in this equation.
Remember, to fully balance the equations, you need to ensure that the number of atoms of each element is equal on both sides of the chemical equation.