Question

Number of moles of electrons involved in each of the following 4H+ + o2— 2H2o and H2o + 2H +—2H2o

Answer 1

Answer:

The reduction of water leads to the formation of hydrogen and oxygen. Where hydrogen is generated, the half cell reaction is simple:

At the cathode (reduction) -

2 H+(aq) + 2e− → H2(g) E = 0.00 V

At the anode (oxidation)

2 H2O(l) → O2(g) + 4 H+(aq) + 4e− E = -1.23 V

recall though, these reactions in water is pH dependent and will vary with the material used to achieve water splitting (i.e. overpotentials to actually observe reactivity) - if its just pure water this is essentially what is occurring.