Question

In a redox reaction, how does the total number of electrons lost by the oxidized substance compare to the total number of electrons gained by thereduced substance?
(1) The number lost is always greater than the number gained.
(2) The number lost is always equal to the number gained.
(3) The number lost is sometimes equal to the number gained.
(4) The number lost is sometimes less than the number gained.

Answer 1

The answer is (2) equal to. In redox reactions, you can't just lose electrons somewhere. If an electrons is lost by one, it must be gained by another. Hence, the importance of balancing redox reactions.