How to Balance Redox Reaction?

Chemical reaction are balanced according to “Law of Conservation of Mass”. Chemical Equations which involve oxidation and reduction are balanced using following methods

• Oxidation Number Method
• Ion Electron Method (or Half Reaction Method)

Oxidation Number Method

Balancing chemical equations using the oxidation number method involves assigning oxidation numbers to each element in the reactants and products and then adjusting coefficients to ensure that the total increase and decrease in oxidation numbers are equal. The steps to balance a chemical equation using this method:

• Step 1: Write down the unbalanced chemical equation.
• Step 2: Assign oxidation numbers to each element in the reactants and products.
• Step 3: Identify which elements are undergoing oxidation (increasing oxidation number) and which are undergoing reduction (decreasing oxidation number).
• Step 4: Determine the change in oxidation number for each element undergoing oxidation or reduction.
• Step 5: Balance the equation by adding coefficients to ensure that the total increase and decrease in oxidation numbers are equal on both sides of the equation.

Example: Balance chemical equation by Oxidation Number Method

CuO + NH₃ → Cu + N₂ + H₂O

Ion Electron Method (or Half Reaction Method)

Ion-electron method, also known as the half-reaction method or the oxidation-reduction (redox) method, involves balancing chemical equations by dividing the equation into two half-reactions: the oxidation half-reaction and the reduction half-reaction. Here’s a step-by-step guide to balancing a chemical equation using this method:

• Step 1: Write down the unbalanced chemical equation.
• Step 2: Identify which elements are oxidized and which are reduced.
• Step 3: Write separate half-reactions for oxidation and reduction.
• Step 4: Balance each half-reaction individually by adding electrons (e-) to one side to balance the charge.
• Step 5: Multiply each half-reaction by appropriate coefficients to equalize the number of electrons transferred.
• Step 6: Add the balanced half-reactions together and cancel out any common terms.

Oxidation and Reduction reactions are simply called Redox reactions. There are chemical reactions in which the oxidation number of the chemical species involved in the reaction changes. Oxidation and reduction Reactions involve a wide variety of processes. For example, oxidation-reduction reactions are so common that they can be the breathing process, burning of wood, rusting, fruit ripening, photosynthesis, and many more. Generally, these redox reactions involve the transfer of oxygen or hydrogen atoms.

In this article, we will learn about, What is Oxidation, What is Reduction, Examples of Oxidation Reductions Reactions, Oxidation and Reduction Half Reactions, Oxidation Number, and many more in detail.