Which species will most readily act as the reducing agent in becoming Mn²?
Answers
By checking the changes that occur in their oxidation numbers, we see that
C
l
−
is the reducing agent, and
M
n
O
2
is the oxidizing agent.
Explanation:
The simplest way to determine the reducing agent (or the oxidizing agent for that mattter) is to determine the oxidation number of each atom in the equation.
By the way, I think the equation you have given should have the second substance written as
H
+
rather than just
H
. Free hydrogen atoms do not exist in aqueous solution, but hydrogen ions do.
So, we will focus on the Mn atoms and the Cl atoms as these will have changes in their oxidation numbers.
In
M
n
O
2
, since we assign -2 as the value of the two oxygen atoms, and since the total of the oxidation numbers must be zero (the real charge on the formula), the Mn atom has a value of +4.
In the
C
l
−
ion, the oxidation number is the real charge, -1.
Looking at the products, the
M
n
2
+
ion now has oxidation number +2. This decrease in the oxidation number tells us that the Mn atom has been reduced. Therefore, the compound in which it is found
(
M
n
O
2
)
is the oxidizing agent!
At the same time, the chlorine atom increases to an oxidation number of zero (in its element form as
C
l
2
). The increase in oxidation number means the
C
l
−
ion has been oxidized, and so, must be the reducing agent.
The reducing agent that can be used to extract manganese from manganese dioxide is aluminium powder.
- An electron recipient (also known as the oxidising agent, oxidant, oxidizer, or electron acceptor) is a chemical species that receives an electron from a reducing agent, also known as a reductant, reducer, or electron donor. The Earth metals, formic acid, oxalic acid, and sulfite compounds are a few examples of chemicals that are frequently used as reducing agents.
- Reducers have excess electrons (i.e., they are already reduced) while oxidizers don't in their pre-reaction states (that is, they are by themselves oxidized). Their oxidation states are a typical way to communicate this. The oxidation state of an agent defines how many electrons it has lost; the higher the oxidation state, the less electrons the substance has. Therefore, a reducing agent normally starts out in one of its lower oxidation levels; as the reaction progresses, on the other hand, the oxidizer's oxidation state decreases.
- The reducing agent that can be used to extract manganese from manganese dioxide is aluminium powder.
Hence, the reducing agent that can be used to extract manganese from manganese dioxide is aluminium powder.
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