Question

For the following reaction, identify the element that was oxidized, the element that was reduced, and the reducing agent. Give an explanation for each answer. . 2CO + 2NO yields 2CO2 + N2

Answer 1

For this reaction, oxidation number of Carbon in CO would be +2 while oxidation number of carbon in CO2 would be +4 and so this means that carbon has oxidized. Oxidation number of nitrogen in NO is +2. While oxidation number of nitrogen in N2 is 0 so this means that nitrogen had reduced. The reducing agent is the one which provides electrons by oxidizing itself so in this case; CO is the reducing agent while the C in CO oxidized to produce electrons. I am hoping that this answer has satisfied your query about and it will be able to help you, and if you’d like, feel free to ask another question.