Difference between "species oxidized" and "oxidizing agent"?

[Swenis]

Hey guys, I've been looking at some old practice exams in preparation for a general chemistry test I have here in three hours or so.

2CuCl(aq) + Mg(s) ---> 2Cu(s) + MgCl2(aq)

The question wants to know what is "the species oxidized/reduced" and what is "the oxidizing/reducing agent." What's the difference in these questions? My book doesn't say anything about species oxidized/reduced? Thanks! 👍

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[abcabc]

Hey guys, I've been looking at some old practice exams in preparation for a general chemistry test I have here in three hours or so.

2CuCl(aq) + Mg(s) ---> 2Cu(s) + MgCl2(aq)

The question wants to know what is "the species oxidized/reduced" and what is "the oxidizing/reducing agent." What's the difference in these questions? My book doesn't say anything about species oxidized/reduced? Thanks! 👍

Reduction - gain of electrons/loss of oxygen
Oxidation - loss of electrons/gain of oxygen

Species oxidized - the one that lost electrons or gained ozygen
Species reduced - the one that gained electrons or lost oxygen

Oxidizing agent - gets reduced
Reducing agent - gets oxidized

In your equation, Mg went from 0 oxidation number to +2, i.e lost electrons i.e. got oxidized i.e. is the reducing agent

Cu went from +1 to 0, i.e. gained an electron, ie got reduced ie is the oxidizing agent

 

[DoctorV09]

Hey guys, I've been looking at some old practice exams in preparation for a general chemistry test I have here in three hours or so.

2CuCl(aq) + Mg(s) ---> 2Cu(s) + MgCl2(aq)

The question wants to know what is "the species oxidized/reduced" and what is "the oxidizing/reducing agent." What's the difference in these questions? My book doesn't say anything about species oxidized/reduced? Thanks! 👍

Species oxidized is the atom that is being oxidized (oxidized is losing electrons), whereas the oxidizing agent is the one that is doing the oxidizing...therefore, the oxidizing agent is being reduced. So, in the reaction you have above, Copper is going from 1+ to 0, therefore it has gained electrons and is therefore being reduced--copper is both being reduced and the oxidizing agent. Mg is going from 0 to 2+, therefore it is losing electrons and thus is being oxidized and therefore is also a reducing agent. Chlorine is always -1 and therefore it is neither being oxidized or reduced in this equation. To sum up, if an item is being oxidized then it is also called the reducing agent (because in the process of being oxidized, it has to reduce something else) and if it is being reduced, then it is also called an oxidizing agent (because in the process of being reduced, it has to oxidize something else). Understand? 🙂

 

[katiekate]

Hey guys, I've been looking at some old practice exams in preparation for a general chemistry test I have here in three hours or so.

2CuCl(aq) + Mg(s) ---> 2Cu(s) + MgCl2(aq)

The question wants to know what is "the species oxidized/reduced" and what is "the oxidizing/reducing agent." What's the difference in these questions? My book doesn't say anything about species oxidized/reduced? Thanks! 👍

The oxidating agent is reduced, and the reducing agent is oxidized. If a species is oxidized its oxidation number increases, therefore it has to cause a reduction in another species - hence, it is the reducing agent.

 

[menten]

The species oxidized is losing electrons, which makes it the reducing agent. The species reduced is gaining electrons, which makes it the oxidizing agent. So, species oxidized=reducing agent, species reduced = oxidizing agent. The Mg has a neutral charge, but carries a 2+ charge in MgCl2, so it lost electrons, and would be the species oxidized/reducing agent. In CuCl2, the Cu carries a 2+ charge, but carries no charge when it stands alone as elemental copper. So, Cu gained electrons and was the species reduced/oxidizing agent. Good luck!

 

[Swenis]

Thanks everyone. You guys rock!

 

[SanDiegoSOD]

If you see a solid metal (e.g. Mg(s)) in the first half of a redox reaction, odds are high that the metal gets oxidized, and is therefore the reducing agent.