What is a disproportionation reaction?

A disproportionation reaction is when an element is both oxidised and reduced in the same reaction. You check this by looking at the oxidation state of the element at the begining of the reaction and then what it is in the two products at the end; if the oxidation state has gone up (i.e it has lost electrons) it has been oxidised, and if the oxidation state has gone down (i.e it has gained electrons) it has been reduced. Remember OILRIG to help;

Oxidation Is Loss (of electrons) Reduction Is Gain (of electrons)

An example is the disproportionation of copper in the following reaction:

Cu2O (aq) +  H2SO4 (aq) --> Cu (s) + CuSO4 (aq) + H2O (l)

Here the copper goes from oxidation state +1 in Cu2O to oxidation state 0 in Cu and oxidation state +2 in CuSO4.

MV
Answered by Mia V. Chemistry tutor

54670 Views

See similar Chemistry A Level tutors

Related Chemistry A Level answers

All answers ▸

Potassium Chlorate(VII) decomposes to produce Potassium Chloride and Oxygen. Using the following data calculate the enthalpy change of this decomposition: Enthalpy of formation(KClO4) = -430 kJ mol-1, Enthalpy of formation(KCl) = -440 kJ mol-1


Write down the electronic configuration of a copper ion in this complex ion: [Cu(H2O)6]2+


a sample of hydrated NiSO4 witha mass of 4.414g is heated to remove all water crystallisation. The resultant mass is 2.287g. How many H2O molecules to each NiSO4 were there in the original sample


What is bond polarity and why does it exist?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

© MyTutorWeb Ltd 2013–2025

Terms & Conditions|Privacy Policy
Cookie Preferences