In redox reactions, what happens to the oxidation state of a transition metal when it acts as a reducing agent?
Practice Questions
1 question
Q1
In redox reactions, what happens to the oxidation state of a transition metal when it acts as a reducing agent?
It increases
It decreases
It remains the same
It becomes zero
When a transition metal acts as a reducing agent, it donates electrons, resulting in a decrease in its oxidation state.
Questions & Step-by-step Solutions
1 item
Q
Q: In redox reactions, what happens to the oxidation state of a transition metal when it acts as a reducing agent?
Solution: When a transition metal acts as a reducing agent, it donates electrons, resulting in a decrease in its oxidation state.
Steps: 4
Step 1: Understand what a reducing agent is. A reducing agent is a substance that donates electrons to another substance.
Step 2: Identify the role of the transition metal in the reaction. When it acts as a reducing agent, it loses electrons.
Step 3: Recognize that losing electrons means the transition metal's oxidation state decreases. Oxidation state is a number that represents the total number of electrons an atom can lose, gain, or share.
Step 4: Conclude that when the transition metal donates electrons, its oxidation state goes down.
