Question

Reaction:

Fe + Cl₂ → FeCl₂
Then, write balanced half-reactions describing the oxidation and reduction that happen in this reaction.
oxidation:
reduction:

Answer 1

The balanced half-reactions for the reaction Fe + Cl₂ → FeCl₂ are oxidation: Fe → Fe²⁺ + 2e⁻ and reduction: Cl₂ + 2e⁻ → 2Cl⁺, combining them gives the balanced overall equation.

Step-by-step explanation:

To balance the half-reactions for the reaction Fe + Cl₂ → FeCl₂, we first need to identify the oxidation and reduction processes. For iron (Fe), it is being oxidized, and for chlorine (Cl₂), it is being reduced. The balanced half-reactions look like this:

• Oxidation: Fe → Fe²⁺ + 2e⁻
• Reduction: Cl₂ + 2e⁻ → 2Cl⁺

In the oxidation half-reaction, iron (Fe) loses two electrons to form Fe²⁺ ions, while in the reduction half-reaction, each chlorine molecule (Cl₂) gains two electrons to form two chloride ions (2Cl⁺).

Combining these half-reactions gives us the balanced equation for the overall reaction, maintaining the conservation of both mass and charge:

• Fe + Cl₂ → FeCl₂