Chemistry · Electronic concepts of oxidation and reduction, redox reactions, oxidation number, rules for assigning oxidation number and balancing of redox reactions

One mole of absorbs 5 moles of electrons in a redox reaction. The reduced produc

One mole of \( H N O_{3} \) absorbs 5 moles of electrons in a redox reaction. The reduced product of this reaction is :

  • A. 1 mole \( N_{2} \)
  • B. 1 mole \( N_{2} \) O
  • C. 1 mole \( N O_{2} \)
  • D. 1 mole \( N H_{3} \)

Step-by-step solution

In HNO3, nitrogen has an oxidation state of +5. Gaining 5 electrons reduces it to 0 oxidation state. The product with nitrogen in 0 oxidation state is N2. The half-reaction is: NO3- + 6H+ + 5e- → 1/2N2 + 3H2O, so 1 mole HNO3 consumes 5 moles electrons to produce 0.5 mole N2. Among options, only N2 corresponds to a reduction by 5 electrons per N atom.
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