Spontaneous Electron Transfer
Home Table of Contents Preliminary Information Redox Reactions Electric Current Electrolysis Spontaneous Electron Transfer Oxidation Potential Voltaic Cells Wrap-Up

 

Metals with Water
Metals with Cations
Nonmetals with Anions

Spontaneous Electron Transfer

In this section we will deal with spontaneous redox reactions. These reactions do not have to be forced by passing an electric current through the chemicals.

Let's review some examples of spontaneous redox reactions.

Na + water:
This is a quick reaction in which sodium skitters around on the surface of the water.		 Reaction of sodium with water.
K + water:
This is a quick reaction in which potassium skitters around on the surface of the water and generally ignites while doing so.		 Reaction of potassium with water.
Fe + water:
This reaction, which results in rust or corrosion, is a slow reaction (although it may seem quite fast if it is your favorite hammer that got left out on the lawn).		 Reaction of iron with water.

 

When you observed some of those reactions in the previous course (CH 104), we talked about them in terms of the sodium and potassium (and calcium and magnesium) losing electrons. Did you happen to ask or wonder where those electrons went? At that time it wasn't important. Now we will start considering that type of thing.

In the pages of this section we will consider the spontaneous reactions of

metals with water,
metals with cations, and
nonmetals with anions.

 

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