{"id":233791,"date":"2025-06-13T12:14:19","date_gmt":"2025-06-13T12:14:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/learnexams.com\/blog\/?p=233791"},"modified":"2025-06-13T12:14:21","modified_gmt":"2025-06-13T12:14:21","slug":"consider-the-redox-reaction-below","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/2025\/06\/13\/consider-the-redox-reaction-below\/","title":{"rendered":"Consider the redox reaction below"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Consider the redox reaction below: 2Al(s) + 6HCl(aq) \u00e2\u2020\u2019 2AlCl3(aq) + 3H2(g) Which statement correctly describes a half-reaction that is taking place? A) Hydrogen is oxidized from +1 to 0. B) Chlorine is reduced from -1 to 0. C) Aluminum is oxidized from 0 to +3. D) Hydrogen is reduced from 0 to -1.<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Correct Answer: C) Aluminum is oxidized from 0 to +3.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
Explanation:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the given redox reaction:2Al(s)+6HCl(aq)\u21922AlCl3(aq)+3H2(g)2Al(s) + 6HCl(aq) \\rightarrow 2AlCl_3(aq) + 3H_2(g)2Al(s)+6HCl(aq)\u21922AlCl3\u200b(aq)+3H2\u200b(g)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Redox reactions involve oxidation<\/strong> (loss of electrons) and reduction<\/strong> (gain of electrons). Let\u2019s analyze the oxidation states of each element to determine what is being oxidized and what is being reduced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  1. Aluminum (Al)<\/strong>:\n
      \n
    • On the reactant<\/strong> side, aluminum is in its elemental form: Al(s)<\/strong>. The oxidation state of an element in its pure form is 0<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • On the product<\/strong> side, aluminum is part of the compound AlCl\u2083<\/strong>. Chlorine (Cl) typically has an oxidation number of -1<\/strong>, and since there are three Cl atoms, the total negative charge is -3. Therefore, Al must have an oxidation state of +3<\/strong> to balance the -3 from Cl.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Change in oxidation state for aluminum: 0 \u2192 +3<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • This indicates oxidation<\/strong>, since aluminum loses electrons<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Hydrogen (H)<\/strong>:\n
        \n
      • In HCl<\/strong>, hydrogen has an oxidation number of +1<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • In H\u2082 gas<\/strong>, hydrogen exists in its elemental form, with an oxidation number of 0<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Change in oxidation state for hydrogen: +1 \u2192 0<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • This indicates reduction<\/strong>, since hydrogen gains electrons<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Chlorine (Cl)<\/strong>:\n
          \n
        • Chlorine remains at -1<\/strong> in both HCl and AlCl\u2083.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • No change in oxidation state<\/strong> for chlorine, so it is neither oxidized nor reduced<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
          Thus, the aluminum is oxidized<\/strong> from an oxidation state of 0 to +3<\/strong>, and the hydrogen is reduced<\/strong> from +1 to 0<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
          Therefore, the correct half-reaction involving oxidation<\/strong> is:Al0\u2192Al3++3e\u2212\\text{Al}^0 \\rightarrow \\text{Al}^{3+} + 3e^-Al0\u2192Al3++3e\u2212<\/p>\n\n\n\n
          Correct option: C) Aluminum is oxidized from 0 to +3.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
          \"\"<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
          Consider the redox reaction below: 2Al(s) + 6HCl(aq) \u00e2\u2020\u2019 2AlCl3(aq) + 3H2(g) Which statement correctly describes a half-reaction that is taking place? A) Hydrogen is oxidized from +1 to 0. B) Chlorine is reduced from -1 to 0. C) Aluminum is oxidized from 0 to +3. D) Hydrogen is reduced from 0 to -1. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-233791","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-exams-certification"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/233791","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=233791"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/233791\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=233791"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=233791"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=233791"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}