Reduction-oxidation reactions: all chemical reactions in which atoms have their oxidation state changed.
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Solving carbon black
I want to remove a layer of 2 mm thick carbon black on a copper bowl. I have tried different solvents, but the carbon seems to be very resistive.
Which formula solves carbon black without solving ...
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Reduction by thermionic electrons
Certain reduction reactions require electrons as reducing agents. Is the overlapping of orbitals is necessary for electron transfer? I mean if a element $\ce{X}$ is heated and it gives out thermionic ...
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Formal charges, how to work them out
I found a site with this formalae if you will,
Formal Charge = [# of valence electrons on atom] – [non-bonded electrons + number of bonds]
I don't think I am using it correctly in finding the ...
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88 views
How many electrons are transferred in this redox reaction?
I have the following reaction:
$CH_4 (g) + 2O_2 (g) \rightarrow CO_2 (g) + 2H_2 O(l) $
How do I determine how many electrons are transferred in this reaction? More specifically, I need to know the ...
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53 views
Electrochemical Cell
Now in an electrochemical cell , we make use of the fact that whenever there is a potential drop , electrons will flow from lower to higher potential as for a potential drop , there must be an ...
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In an acid, what does $\ce{ClO_3-}$ reduce into?
...but, most importantly, why? It's $$\ce{6e- +ClO_{3}^- +6H^+ \rightarrow Cl^- + 3 H_2O}$$
Now, with the gift of foresight, why was the equation for its oxidation not instead $$\ce {2e^- +ClO_{3}^- ...
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95 views
Why is it hard to reduce titanium dioxide?
Titanium is expensive, although it is not rare and titanium dioxide is a ubiquitous component, it's part of such mundane articles as toothpaste, paper or plastics.
The reason for that is that the ...
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2answers
114 views
What does the phrase “reducing atmosphere” mean in quantitative terms?
There is a debate about "how reducing" the atmosphere of the early Earth was, and this question is my attempt to grasp toward an understanding of what that that phrase really means. As a bit of ...
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3answers
111 views
What is an oxidizer?
When talking about gaseous fuel / oxidizer mixture what does one mean by oxidizer if there is no oxygen involved?
Is it correct to think of oxidizer as the more electronegative specie, because it is ...
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323 views
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Having trouble understanding basic redox
I am doing a basic chemistry paper by correspondance over the holidays from my university.
I am unsure if I am going in the right direction for basic redox.
I can understand redox equations of the ...
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45 views
Single replacement activity series question
In a single replacement reaction, will a metal that is lower on the activity series NEVER replace a bonded metal/nonmetal, even if the metal is somehow energized?
For example, will the reaction ...
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228 views
Salt in vinegar to clean pennies
Let's say you have a solution that is vinegar and it has salt ($\ce{NaCl}$) dissolved in it. Then you place old dull pennies in it. Then you look at it 5 minutes later and the pennies are clean and ...
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Why do oxidation numbers work?
I understand that oxidation numbers are a method for keeping track of electrons in a reaction and how they are generally assigned (electrons in a bond are assigned to the more electronegative atom).
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104 views
How does dichlor-n triazene trione (dichloroisocyanuric acid) generate hypochlorous acid when dissolved in water?
Can someone draw the reaction that leads to the generation of HOCl when dichloroisocyanuric acid (structure shown below) is dissolved in water?
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56 views
Is combustion considered a redox reaction?
When carbon combusts with oxygen, is this considered a redox reaction since the oxygen atoms gain electrons and the carbon atoms lose them?
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62 views
What undergoes reduction in a Zn-Cu voltaic cell?
In a voltaic cell there is zinc and copper and the electrolyte is sodium chloride solution. The question was:
In this cell, which of the following undergoes reduction?
My answer was copper, but ...
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40 views
Determine Keq for a solution that has equal activities for H₂S and SO₄-? [closed]
I know that I need to first calculate the redox half reactions for the reduction of sulfate to find log k... but I'm stuck even there! Help please!
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116 views
If a sugar is nonreducing, does that mean it doesn't ionize in water?
I'm thinking of sucrose, which I learned is nonreducing, what I take to mean it doesn't accept/take electrons from the surrounding solution. Does this also mean that it doesn't ionize and thus has a ...
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Mechanism of oxidation by dichlorotriazenetrione
How does dichlorotriazenetrione supply chlorine to a swimming pool and how does it oxidize organic material?
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Which element is reduced in this reaction
Which element is reduced in this reaction
$$\ce{2KMnO_4 +3NaSO_3 +H_2O ->2MnO_2 +3NaSO_4 +2KOH}$$
I am trying to figure out which elements lose their electrons, but How am I supposed to know when ...
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71 views
Are redox half-reactions “real”?
Are the half-reactions used in analyzing redox reactions a real thing or are they a conceptual shortcut?
Is there a way to, however briefly, run a half-reaction by itself without the corresponding ...
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1answer
79 views
How does hot tub “shock” work?
Hot tub shock is potassium peroxymonosulfate. When added to a hot tub, it creates bubbles. It is said to oxidize organic debris in the water. What is the reaction?
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Why must an oxidizer not touch rubber?
Why is it that oxidizers (specifically $\small\ce{KClO3}$) are at risk of causing a fire when they come into contact with the rubber stopper used to contain them in their container, but can be slowly ...
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120 views
Is there an alternative to the half-reaction method to solving red-ox reactions?
The equation for the reaction between a permanganate and iron(II) ions in acidic solution is:
$\text{MnO}_4^- + \text{Fe}^{2+} \longrightarrow \text{Fe}^{3+} + \text{Mn}^{2+}$
My book, as well as a ...
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763 views
Oxidation number for Nitrogen in Ammonium sulfate
I'm trying to find the oxidation number of $ \ce N$ in $ \ce{(NH4)2SO4}$.
The answer is supposed to be $-3$ but I can't figure out the logic behind this.
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121 views
Why does Chloride attack CrO?
In certain applications some sorts of stainless steel (V2A, 1.4301) corrode when exposed to $\small{\ce{Cl^-}}$ in water, or at least it is strongly advised to use ...
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Why is mercury a “fancy proton”?
I remember that one of my old organic chemistry profs referred to mercury as being a "fancy proton". I think it was in the context of oxymercuration reduction.
What might have been his rationale for ...
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330 views
Flammability (NFPA) - how is it defined?
I was reading up on a wonderful little chemical compound known as chlorine trifluoride (ClF3). For a primer, check out Dr. Derek Lowe's blog post here: Sand Won't Save You This Time. The title of the ...
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214 views
How would I calculate the Normality of a 0.00167 molar solution of $\ce{KIO3}$?
I need a 0.01 N solution of KIO3 to use as a standard in a Winkler titration. The protocol that I am using specifies that this is 0.3567 g L-1, which I have calculated to be 0.00167 M based on 214 g ...
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995 views
Why is Nitric Acid such a strong oxidizing agent?
In lab I've seen that nitric acid solutions are able to facilitate the dissolution of metals such as silver, even though they are more active than hydrogen. Does anyone know why it is nitric acid is ...
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66 views
What is the timescale of disulfide bond formation?
What is the timescale of disulfide bond formation in a given protein? What influences it? Finally, how does one actually measure it?
From what I understand, the reduction and oxidation of bonds ...
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2answers
684 views
Why is iron in the brown ring compound in a +1 oxidation state?
In the standard brown ring test for the nitrate ion, the brown ring is $$\ce{[Fe(H2O)5 (NO)]^{2+}}$$
In this compound, the nitrosyl ligand is positively charged, and iron is in a $+1$ oxidation ...
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Why does benzene bend in this reaction?
From here
I can see why hapticity changes here, but not why it is necessary for the benzene ring to bend. The resonance energy of benzene is pretty large, and there's no balancing increase in ...
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How to differentiate a metal from its ion?
I am working on metal and its ion. The problem is, I would like to know whether the metal has been converted to its ionic form or not.
The hypothesis for the analysis is: Metals are good conductors ...
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Mechanism for oxidation of arenes via permanganate
All arenes, when treated with hot. conc. acidic $\rm KMnO_4$, are oxidised to benzoic/pthallic/etc acids.
I've tried to examine how this happens, using the mechanism of oxidation of double bonds via ...
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What is a good method to measure the redox potential of a cellular system?
I know how to measure the concentration of free thiols which is reflective of the redox potential of cellular compartment such as the cytoplasm or a lysosome.
What other methods exist?
