MHB Oxidation-Reduction in 2Ca + O2 -> 2CaO Reaction

  • Thread starter Thread starter markosheehan
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Reaction
AI Thread Summary
In the reaction 2Ca + O2 -> 2CaO, calcium (Ca) is oxidized while oxygen (O2) is reduced. Each calcium atom has an oxidation number of +2 in CaO, while oxygen has an oxidation number of -2. The confusion arises from the understanding of electron transfer; oxygen gains two electrons, leading to its reduction. The discussion clarifies that both Ca and O2 are neutral before the reaction, and the oxidation states change upon forming CaO. This explanation resolves the initial misunderstanding regarding the oxidation numbers.
markosheehan
Messages
133
Reaction score
0
can some one show me by looking at electrons lost and gained which is oxidised and reduced in the reaction

2ca+o2->2cao

i would of said each calcium atom has a O.N of +2 and o2 has a O.N of 0
the o in 2cao has a O.N of -2 so that means the ca has a O.N of +2. but that makes no sense. where did as where did the oxygen gain the 2 electrons if the O.N of ca stays the same

im doing these questions wrong
 
Mathematics news on Phys.org
markosheehan said:
can some one show me by looking at electrons lost and gained which is oxidised and reduced in the reaction

2ca+o2->2cao

i would of said each calcium atom has a O.N of +2 and o2 has a O.N of 0
the o in 2cao has a O.N of -2 so that means the ca has a O.N of +2. but that makes no sense. where did as where did the oxygen gain the 2 electrons if the O.N of ca stays the same

im doing these questions wrong

Both $\ce{Ca}$ and $\ce{O2}$ are neutral.
In $\ce{CaO}$, $\ce{Ca}$ has oxidation number +2 and $\ce{O}$ has oxidation number -2.
$\ce{Ca}$ is oxidized and $\ce{O}$ is reduced.
 
markosheehan said:
can some one show me by looking at electrons lost and gained which is oxidised and reduced in the reaction

2ca+o2->2cao

We have MathJax configured to handled chemical equations...for example the following code:

\ce{2Ca + O2 -> 2CaO}

produces:

$$\ce{2Ca + O2 -> 2CaO}$$

Here's more information:

Chemistry notation using mhchem
 
I like Serena said:
Both $\ce{Ca}$ and $\ce{O2}$ are neutral.
In $\ce{CaO}$, $\ce{Ca}$ has oxidation number +2 and $\ce{O}$ has oxidation number -2.
$\ce{Ca}$ is oxidized and $\ce{O}$ is reduced.

thanks i get it now
 
Seemingly by some mathematical coincidence, a hexagon of sides 2,2,7,7, 11, and 11 can be inscribed in a circle of radius 7. The other day I saw a math problem on line, which they said came from a Polish Olympiad, where you compute the length x of the 3rd side which is the same as the radius, so that the sides of length 2,x, and 11 are inscribed on the arc of a semi-circle. The law of cosines applied twice gives the answer for x of exactly 7, but the arithmetic is so complex that the...
Is it possible to arrange six pencils such that each one touches the other five? If so, how? This is an adaption of a Martin Gardner puzzle only I changed it from cigarettes to pencils and left out the clues because PF folks don’t need clues. From the book “My Best Mathematical and Logic Puzzles”. Dover, 1994.
Thread 'Imaginary Pythagoras'
I posted this in the Lame Math thread, but it's got me thinking. Is there any validity to this? Or is it really just a mathematical trick? Naively, I see that i2 + plus 12 does equal zero2. But does this have a meaning? I know one can treat the imaginary number line as just another axis like the reals, but does that mean this does represent a triangle in the complex plane with a hypotenuse of length zero? Ibix offered a rendering of the diagram using what I assume is matrix* notation...

Similar threads

Back
Top