Question

Given the following cell notation, determine the species oxidized, species reduced, and the oxidizing agent and reducing agent, without writing the balanced reactions. (include states-of-matter under the given conditions in your answer.)

(a) pb(s) | pb2 (aq) || au3 (aq) | au(s)

Answer 1

In the cell notation of Pb(s) | Pb^2+(aq) || Au^3+(aq) | Au(s), Pb(s) is oxidized and acts as the reducing agent, while Au^3+(aq) is reduced and serves as the oxidizing agent.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the given cell notation Pb(s) | Pb2+(aq) || Au3+(aq) | Au(s), the species oxidized is Pb(s), which means lead in solid state is losing electrons.

Consequently, Pb(s) is also the reducing agent since it is donating electrons to the other species. The species reduced is Au3+(aq), meaning that gold ions in aqueous solution are gaining electrons. Thus, Au3+(aq) is the oxidizing agent.