Reducing Power

[lauren chung 2f]

How do you know which elements are increasing in reducing power? (referring to test 2, question 5, which asks to rank the following elements in order of increasing their reducing power)

[Michelle Steinberg2J]

I think the best way is to remember that something with the highest reducing power is the most negative. Conversely, something with the highest oxidizing power is most positive. You can look at the voltages provided and rank based on those values.

Hope that helps!

[lauren chung 2f]

Do you mean electronegative? I don't think I understand how to tell by looking at a periodic table which elements have more reducing power. Thanks!

[Hellen Truong 2J]

It's based on the table of standard potentials! If you want the species with highest reducing power, you want the species itself to be the most easily oxidized. That means in order of standard potentials, you order species most positive to least positive (most negative).

[Hellen Truong 2J]

Also, I think it's helpful to remember that standard potentials are based on a cell with the hydrogen reaction as the anode. So if E>0, then the species is oxidizing the hydrogen electrode (since the species gets reduced). It E<0, then the forward reaction is not spontaneous, so the species is being oxidized by the hydrogen electrode, and has more reducing power.

[Sally Nason - 1K]

Find the redox equations on the sheet for each of the elements given and the most negative value for E has the most reducing power.