Unit Activity 8: Oxygen as Abundant and Essential Oxidizing Agent

Unit Activity 8: Oxygen as Abundant and Essential Oxidizing Agent

In chapter 8, you learn that oxygen itself is the most common oxidizing agent. It can combine with metals to form metal oxides and with nonmetals to form nonmetal oxides.

A. Oxygen reaction with other elements- Magnesium metal reacts with oxygen to produce magnesium oxide:

2Mg (s) + O2 (g) 2MgO (s)

Write the balanced equations for the following reactions:

1. The surface of aluminum reacts with oxygen to for aluminum oxide.

2. A cut piece of lithium metal quickly oxidizes to form lithium oxide.

B. Oxygen reacts with many compounds, oxidizing one or more of the elements in the compound.

Carbon disulfide reacts with oxygen to produce carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide:

CS2 (g) + 3O2 CO2 (g) + 2SO2 (g)

Write the balanced equations for the following reactions:

1. When heated in air, lead(II) sulfide, combines with oxygen to form lead(II) oxide and sulfur dioxide.

2. When ethanol, C2H5OH reacts with oxygen.