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Question

Why cannot oxidation occur without reduction?


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Solution

  1. Oxidation is defined as a reaction that involves the loss of electrons by an atom or a group of atoms.
  2. Reduction is defined as a reaction that involves the gain of electrons by an atom or a group of atoms.
  3. Oxidation and reduction are coupled processes i.e. one cannot happen without the other.
  4. This is because electrons can neither be created nor destroyed throughout a reaction. When one chemical species loses electrons (oxidation), those electrons have to be gained by another chemical species (reduction).
  5. Consider the reaction:

Zn(s)+CuSO4(aq)ZnSO4(aq)+Cu(s)(Zinc)(Copper(Zinc(Copper)sulphate)sulphate)

Copper is present in Copper sulfate as Cu2+ and Zinc is present in Zinc sulphate as Zn2+. The ionic form of the above reaction would be

Zn(s)+Cu2+(aq)Zn2+(aq)+Cu(s)

6. In the ionic reaction, it can be seen that Zinc is losing 2 electrons to become Zn2+i.e. Zinc is getting oxidised. It can also be seen that Copper is gaining the two electron lost by Zinc and is getting converted from Cu2+ to Cu i.e. Copper is getting reduced. Both processes are occurring simultaneously.

7. Oxidation cannot occur without reduction because the electrons lost by one species has to be gained by another.


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