Consider the following reaction and select the false statement below.
NaI + 3HOCl → NaIO3 + 3HCl
A. HOCl is the oxidizing agent
B. Cl is reduced
C. NaI is the reducing agent
D. If ΔG° for the reaction is < 0, then NaI is a stronger reducing agent than HCl
E. If ΔG° for the reaction is < 0, then NaIO3 is a stronger oxidizing agent than HOCl
And your problem is what?
I'm confused with redox rxns in general and how to tell if it's a strong oxidizing/reducing agent.
Oxidation is the loss of electrons and the substance oxidized is the reducing agent.
Reduction is the gain of electrons and the substance reduced is the oxidizing agent.
For example, look at answer A.
Cl in HOCl has oxidation state of +1. It goes to Cl^- on the right where it is -1. Changing from +1 to -1 is the gain of electrons (two to be exact about it) which makes HOCl reduced and it is the oxidizing agent.
B. I just used Cl as an example so you know both A and B are true statements.
C. You can go through the same reasoning to determine if C is correct. i think it is but you should confirm that.
D and E. Both of these are based on dGo <0. If it is <0 that means it is negative and that means the reaction is spontaneous as written. So if the reaction is spontaneous as written then NaI is the stronger of NaI and HCl; otherwise, the reaction would be spontaneous in the other direction.
Same kind of reasoning for E.
Thank you for your explanation! I knew the first three were right but didn't know exactly why. I was confused with the last two. Thanks again!
To determine which statement is false, let's analyze each statement one by one:
A. HOCl is the oxidizing agent.
To determine if HOCl is the oxidizing agent, we need to check if it causes the oxidation of another substance in the reaction. In this case, HOCl does not cause the oxidation of any other substance. It is, in fact, reduced. Therefore, statement A is false.
B. Cl is reduced.
This statement determines whether Cl is reduced or not. In the given reaction, Cl goes from a higher oxidation state in HOCl to a lower oxidation state in HCl. This indicates that Cl is indeed reduced. Therefore, statement B is true.
C. NaI is the reducing agent.
To determine if NaI is the reducing agent, we need to check if it causes the reduction of another substance in the reaction. In this case, NaI does not cause the reduction of any other substance. It is, in fact, oxidized. Therefore, statement C is false.
D. If ΔG° for the reaction is < 0, then NaI is a stronger reducing agent than HCl.
This statement relates the free energy change (ΔG°) with the relative strength of reducing agents. If the ΔG° for a reaction is negative, it indicates a spontaneous reaction, and the reducing agent in the reaction is stronger than the oxidizing agent. Therefore, statement D is true.
E. If ΔG° for the reaction is < 0, then NaIO3 is a stronger oxidizing agent than HOCl.
This statement also relates the free energy change (ΔG°) with the relative strength of oxidizing agents. If the ΔG° for a reaction is negative, it indicates a spontaneous reaction, and the oxidizing agent in the reaction is stronger than the reducing agent. Therefore, statement E is true.
In summary, the false statement is A. HOCl is the oxidizing agent.