Question

How is oxygen reduced in the reaction of copper and oxygen?

Answer 1

since oxygen is a negative radical,it accepts electron from copper and thus forms a negative charge . we know that gain of electron is reduction,therefore oxygen gains electrons and thus gets reduced and copper loses electrons and is said to be oxidised.

Answer 2

the recombination of oxygen atoms and isotopic exchange with molecular oxygen. The simplest heterogeneous catalytic process involving molecular oxygen is the dissociation of O2 into atoms together with the reverse reaction, the recombination of O-atoms. As the dissociation reaction is highly endothermic, temperatures greater than 1000° C are required before appreciable rates of reaction are observed and this restricts the range of catalysts that can be studied. At low pressures and at temperatures of 1000°-1500° C, the reaction proceeds on platinum via the dissociative oxygen chemisorption of oxygen and the desorption of O-atoms. The surface coverage with atomic oxygen is assumed to be low on account of the high temperature. The interaction of atoms or radicals is known to proceed rapidly even without a catalyst, but the large amount of heat evolved in reaction favors decomposition of the product. Solid catalysts, as third bodies, adsorb the energy released and dissipate it, stabilizing the O2 molecule formed. At the same time, a catalyst takes part in intermediate chemical reactions with the O-atoms and, as a result, the specificity of different surfaces is manifested.