Question

In the formation of magnesium chloride (by direct combination between magnesium and chlorine), name the substance that is oxidised and the substance that is reduced.

Answer 1

(1) Oxidised substances are those substances which loses electrons and act as reducing agent.

(2) The substance that gains electrons are reduced substance and act as oxidising agent.

In the formation of magnesium chloride ${\mathrm{MgCl}}_2$, by the direct combination between magnesium and chlorine, magnesium is a metal which loses electrons and oxidised and chlorine accept the electrons and gets reduced.

Chemical equation :

$$\begin{gathered} \mathrm{Mg}\left(\mathrm{s}\right)+2\mathrm{Cl}\left(\mathrm{g}\right)\to {\mathrm{MgCl}}_2\left(\mathrm{s}\right) \\ \mathrm{O}\mathrm{O}+2-1 \end{gathered}$$

$\mathrm{Mg}\to {\mathrm{Mg}}^{2+}+2{\mathrm{e}}^{-}[\mathrm{lose}\mathrm{of}\mathrm{electron}]$

$2\mathrm{Cl}+2{\mathrm{e}}^{-}\to {\mathrm{Cl}}_2[\mathrm{gain}\mathrm{of}\mathrm{electron}]$