Chemical Forums

Chemistry Forums for Students => Undergraduate General Chemistry Forum => Topic started by: brocasbrain00 on October 02, 2007, 09:32:20 PM

Title: Basic Oxidation-Reduction (Redox) Formula
Post by: brocasbrain00 on October 02, 2007, 09:32:20 PM
1.)
How do I write the chemical formula for the reaction between copper and AgNO3 in solution? I have no idea how to do it, and my teacher never explained it.
-----------------
I tried  Cu + AgNO3 ----->  AgCu + NO3

Is that all?
________________________________________________________
2.)
Is the reaction
H2SO4 (aq) + 2CH3NH2 (aq) ----> (CH3NH3)2 SO4 (aq)
a precipitation reaction, an acid-base reaction, or an oxidation-reduction reaction? Explain.
-------
What do I do?
How can I tell which type of reaction it is?
H2SO4 is an acid, and I guess the H2 is left over after the reaction, or something, but if it is acid-base then how is 2CH3NH2 a base? There is no hydroxide..
I'm so confused.
Title: Re: Basic Oxidation-Reduction (Redox) Formula
Post by: Sev on October 02, 2007, 10:04:57 PM
Quote
I tried  Cu + AgNO3 ----->  AgCu + NO3

Cu and Ag are both cations, so Cu will not bond to Ag.  Try again.

Quote
Is the reaction
H2SO4 (aq) + 2CH3NH2 (aq) ----> (CH3NH3)2 SO4 (aq)
a precipitation reaction, an acid-base reaction, or an oxidation-reduction reaction? Explain.

Obviously it isn't a ppt. reaction, since (CH3NH3)2 SO4 is aq.  I would say it is an acid/base reaction.

Quote
H2SO4 is an acid, and I guess the H2 is left over after the reaction, or something, but if it is acid-base then how is 2CH3NH2 a base? There is no hydroxide..
I'm so confused.

You are using the arrhenius defintion of a base.  CH3NH2 is a bronsted-lowry base.
Title: Re: Basic Oxidation-Reduction (Redox) Formula
Post by: brocasbrain00 on October 02, 2007, 10:23:13 PM
Cu + AgNO3 -> CuNO3 + Ag

is that right? why is that redox, and how do I know the charge of the Cu with NO3?

--------
bronsted-lowry, does that say that a base is a proton acceptor, or something like that? If it is, then how do you know that  CH3NH2  is a proton-acceptor?
Title: Re: Basic Oxidation-Reduction (Redox) Formula
Post by: Sev on October 02, 2007, 10:54:48 PM
Quote

Cu + AgNO3 -> CuNO3 + Ag
is that right?

yes, but Cu is usually 2+, so CuNO3 becomes Cu(NO3)2.  Then you would have to balance the eqn.

Quote
why is that redox, and how do I know the charge of the Cu with NO3?

Who said that was redox?  If your reactants are aq. then they are already present as ions.


Quote
bronsted-lowry, does that say that a base is a proton acceptor, or something like that? If it is, then how do you know that  CH3NH2  is a proton-acceptor?

yes.  You know CH3NH2 is a proton-acceptor from the eqn.  You could probably guess it anyway, since N has a lone pair.
Title: Re: Basic Oxidation-Reduction (Redox) Formula
Post by: AWK on October 03, 2007, 01:38:45 AM

Who said that was redox?  If your reactants are aq. then they are already present as ions.


All single replacement reaction are also redox reactions (though very simple ones)
Title: Re: Basic Oxidation-Reduction (Redox) Formula
Post by: Borek on October 03, 2007, 03:08:58 AM
How do I write the chemical formula for the reaction between copper and AgNO3 in solution?

What you have is (most likely) METALLIC copper (Cu0) and Ag+ - otherwise question doesn't make sense. Copper gets oxidized and dissolved, silver gets reduced to metal - that's where redox come into play.
Title: Re: Basic Oxidation-Reduction (Redox) Formula
Post by: Borek on October 03, 2007, 03:20:58 AM
You know CH3NH2 is a proton-acceptor from the eqn.

You don't know reaction equation beforehand, you can write it once you know what is happening in the solution. So this part of your answer is wrong.

Quote
You could probably guess it anyway, since N has a lone pair.

And that's much better approach - nitrogen in ammonia has a lone pair and is a Bronsted-Lowry base, same happens with all ammonia derivatives (in which H atoms are replaced by something else).
Title: Re: Basic Oxidation-Reduction (Redox) Formula
Post by: Sev on October 03, 2007, 04:13:13 AM
Quote

You know CH3NH2 is a proton-acceptor from the eqn.

You don't know reaction equation beforehand, you can write it once you know what is happening in the solution. So this part of your answer is wrong.
The equation is given in the initial post.
Title: Re: Basic Oxidation-Reduction (Redox) Formula
Post by: Borek on October 03, 2007, 04:15:10 AM
The equation is given in the initial post.

Yep, my mistake.