Thursday, April 22, 2010

Is 2NaOH + CuCl2 = 2NaCl + Cu(OH)2 a redox equation? If it is, what is the element that is oxidized and the element that is reduced?

A redox equation is one in which some species get oxidized, while another gets reduced. Oxidation and reduction means that electrons are gained or lost and the oxidation number of a molecule or atom or ion changes. More specifically, oxidation reaction involves loss of electrons and reduction reaction involves gain of electrons. In the case of the former, the oxidation number increases by one, while in the case of reduction, the oxidation number decreases by one.


The given chemical reaction is:


`CuCl_2 + 2NaOH -> 2NaCl + Cu(OH)_2`


The oxidation number of copper is +2 on both sides of the equation, while that of sodium is +1 on both sides of the reaction. Similarly, the oxidation numbers of chloride, oxygen and hydrogen are also the same on both sides of the equation. 


Hence, this reaction does not represent a redox reaction and no species are reduced or oxidized.

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