Question

consider the redox reaction below.
ag⁺(aq) + zn(s) → zn²⁺(aq) + ag(s)
balance the zinc half - reaction. how many electrons are transferred?

Explanation:

Step1: Identify the zinc half-reaction

The zinc half - reaction is the oxidation half - reaction since zinc is going from an oxidation state of 0 (in \(Zn(s)\)) to + 2 (in \(Zn^{2 + }(aq)\)). The unbalanced half - reaction is \(Zn(s)\to Zn^{2+}(aq)\).

Step2: Balance the charge

To balance the charge, we need to add electrons to the side with the more positive charge. The left - hand side (LHS) has a charge of 0 (from \(Zn(s)\)) and the right - hand side (RHS) has a charge of + 2 (from \(Zn^{2+}(aq)\)). So we add 2 electrons to the RHS to balance the charge. The balanced half - reaction is \(Zn(s)\to Zn^{2+}(aq)+2e^-\).

Answer:

The number of electrons transferred in the zinc half - reaction is 2.