Question

For the following reaction, the oxidation half of the reaction is Mg + CuO → MgO + Cu?

1) Cu⁽²⁺⁾ + 2 e- → CuO
2) CuO → Cu⁽²⁺⁾ + 2e-
3) Mg⁽²⁺⁾ + 2 e- → MgO
4) Mg → Mg ⁽²⁺⁾ +2e-

Answer 1

The oxidation half-reaction is Mg → Mg2+ + 2e-. The reduction half-reaction is Cu2+ + 2e- → Cu. The overall reaction is Mg + Cu2+ → Mg2+ + Cu.

Step-by-step explanation:

The oxidation half-reaction for the given reaction is:

Mg → Mg2+ + 2e−

The reduction half-reaction is:

Cu2+ + 2e− → Cu

To write the overall reaction, we need to combine both half-reactions. Since the number of electrons involved in both half-reactions is the same, we can directly combine them:

Mg + Cu2+ → Mg2+ + Cu