A very crucial thing to remember from the lecture on 09/24/2003 is that a redox

reaction involves the transfer of electronsóthat is, the electrons of one agent are

transferred to another. Therefore, a reaction can be separated into two half-reactions:

in the “oxidation” half, the reducing agent looses two electrons, and its oxidation

number increases, while in the “reduction” half, the oxidation agent gains two

electrons, and thus its oxidation number is reduced. (it might seem a bit confusing, but

after working through examples, it makes a lot of sense!) In addition, when working

with redox reactions, it is important to learn certain rules about the oxidation numbers.

All rules are vital, but some that “stick out” include: “the Nox of an element is 0, the Nox

for O is -2, except in O2, O3 and H2O2, and finally, the Nox of H is +1, except in H2 (0),

LiH, NaH, etc”. Finally, we looked at activity series, and the importance of knowing

which elements loose electrons to one another, in order to predict the possibility of a

reaction.

One of the most interesting aspects about redox reactions is all the different steps and

rules that must be followed. I had always thought it was possible to simply mix any two

solutions, regardless of the number of electrons in the different agents, and it would

automatically result in a reaction. However, after learning of oxidation, reduction, and

activity series, I appreciated how truly complex chemical reactions can be. (and this is

just the beginning!)