S-ECHE001-CHEMISTRY FOR ENGINEERS

TopicLearning Outcomes

At the end of this module, you should be able to:

1) Learn how to assign oxidation numbers to atom/s in a given element, compound, or ion.
2) Recognize reactants and products and learn how to balance them in a chemical equation.
3) Apply the skills in determining oxidation numbers and balancing chemical equations.

Review of Oxidation Number Determination and Balancing of Chemical

Equations

Oxidation Number Determination

It is often useful to follow chemical reactions by looking at changes in the oxidation numbers of the
atoms in each compound during the reaction. Oxidation numbers also play an important role in the
systematic nomenclature of chemical compounds. By definition, the oxidation number (ON) of an
atom is the charge that atom would have if the compound was composed of ions.

Rules in Assigning Oxidation Number

1. The oxidation number of an atom is zero in a 2. The oxidation number of simple ions is equal to
neutral substance that contains atoms of only one the charge on the ion.
element.

E.g. Na, I, Mg, H2, Cl2, O3 (ON = 0) E.g. Cl- (ON = -1) ; Mg2+ (ON = +2)

3. The oxidation number of hydrogen is +1 when it 4. The oxidation number of hydrogen is -1 when it
is combined with a nonmetal. is combined with a metal.

+1 +1 +1 +1 -1 -1 -1 -1
E.g. CH4 ; NH3 ; H2O ; HCl. E.g. LiH ; NaH ; CaH2 ; LiAlH4.

5. The metals in Group IA form compounds (such 6. The elements in Group IIA form compounds in
as Li3N and Na2S) in which the metal atom has an which the metal atom has a +2 oxidation number.
oxidation number of +1.

+1 +1 +1 +2 +2
E.g. LiH ; NaH ; K2S E.g. Mg3N2 ; CaCO3
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7. Oxygen usually has an oxidation number of -2. 8. The elements in Group VIIA have an oxidation
But for peroxide, oxygen has an oxidation number number of -1 when in a form of binary compounds.
equal to -1.

-2 -2 -1 -1 -1 -1
E.g. BaO ; K2O ; H2O2 E.g. AlF3 ; HCl ; ZnBr2

9. The sum of the oxidation numbers in a neutral 10. The sum of the oxidation numbers in a
compound is zero. No. Of atom of O polyatomic ion is equal to the charge on the ion.
The oxidation number of the sulfur atom in the
Oxidation no. of O
SO42- ion must be +6, for example, because the
E.g. H2O: 2(+1) + 1(-2) = 0 sum of the oxidation numbers of the atoms in this
ion must be equal to -2.
Oxidation no. of H x -2
E.g. (SO4)2- : 1(x) + 4(-2) = -2
No. of atoms of H
ON of S = x = +6

11. Elements toward the bottom left corner of the periodic table are more likely to have positive
oxidation numbers than those toward the upper right corner of the table. Sulfur has a positive oxidation
number in SO2, for example, because it is below oxygen in the periodic table.

Balancing Chemical Equations

A balanced chemical equation is a representation of a chemical reaction using the chemical formulas of
the reactants and products, where the total number of atoms of each element present is the same on
both sides of the equation. A chemical equation that is balanced will always reflect the law of
conservation of mass and the law of conservation of atoms because atoms are considered
indestructible.

Steps in Balancing a Chemical Equation by Inspection

1. For a chemical equation, note that the reactants are found on the left side of the arrow and the
products are on the right side.

A + B C + D
Reactants Products

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2. Count the number of atoms of each element in the reactants and the number of atoms of each
element in the products. Note that the same kind of element must be present in the reactants and the
products.

Unbalanced: Mg + HCl MgCl2 + H2

Mg, H, and Cl are present both in the left and right side of the
equation

3. If the equation is not balanced, change the coefficients of the molecules until the number of atoms of
each element on either side of the equation is equal. The coefficient must be a whole number. A
coefficient of 1 is omitted, hence is not shown explicitly. Take note that you should never change the
chemical formulas of the compounds to balance the equation.

Mg + 2 HCl MgCl2 + H2
Coefficient of 2 was affixed to HCl to balance the H in
the left with that in the right

4. For final check, count if the remaining atoms are also balanced.

Balanced: Mg + 2 HCl MgCl2 + H2

H, Mg, and Cl are all balanced

5. Balancing equations is a trial and error process. For chemical equations with reactants and products
containing polyatomic ions, balancing is easier. Just balance the similar ions in the chemical formulas
present in both sides of the equation. Then, balance the rest of the atoms.

Unbalanced: Al(ClO3)3 + MgCrO4 Al2(CrO4)3 + Mg(ClO3)2

 Affix coefficient 2 to Al(ClO3)3 and 3 to Mg(ClO3)2 to balance the ClO3

 Affix coefficient 3 to MgCrO4 and none to Al2(CrO4)3 to balance CrO4

 Balance the rest of the atoms

Balanced: 2 Al(ClO3)3 + 3 MgCrO4 Al2(CrO4)3 + 3 Mg(ClO3)2

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References
1. Gaffney J, Marley N. 2018. General Chemistry for Engineers. Amsterdam, Netherlands:
Elsevier

2. International Bible Society. 1984. The Holy Bible, New International Version (NIV). Colorado
Springs (CO): Zondervan Publishing.
3. Oxtoby D. 2016. Principles of Modern Chemistry. 8th ed. Boston (MA).Cengage Learning.

4. Zumdahl SS. 2017. Chemical Principles. 8th ed. Boston (MA): Cengage Learning.

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