Day 1 - Chemistry for Engineers
1. Energy
1.1 Electrochemical Energy
Redox Reactions
Reduction - when a substance receives one electron.
Oxidation - when a substance loses one electron.
LEO (Loses electron - Oxidation, oxidizing agent)
GER (Gain electron - Reduction, reducing agent)
Example of a Redox process:
Reduction: Cu2+ + 2e- → Cu (Copper)
Oxidation: (Zinc) Zn → Zn2+ + 2e-
- what is oxidized is the reducing agent
- what is reduced is the oxidizing agent.
●​An atom is oxidized if its oxidation number
increases, reducing agent.
●​An atom is reduced if its oxidation number
decreases, oxidizing agent.
Rules for Oxidation States
1.​ The oxidation state of an individual atom is 0.
2.​ Total oxidation state of all atoms in
a.​ Neutral species is 0
b.​ ion is equal to the ion charge.
3.​ Group 1 metals have an oxidation state of +1,
Group 2 metals has an oxidation state of +2.
4.​ The oxidation state of Flourine is -1 in compounds.
5.​ Hydrogen generally has an oxidation state of +1 in
compounds.
6.​ Oxygen generally has an oxidation state of -2 in
compounds.
7.​ In binary metal compounds, Group 17 elements
have an oxidation state of -1, Group 16 elements of
-2, and Group 15 elements of -3.
Combination Reactions
-​ Simplest redox reaction.
1.2 Nuclear Chemistry and Energy
●​ in a nuclear reaction, the identities of the
elements change.
●​ Nucleons - neutron and proton
●​ Isotopes - atoms with the same atomic number
but different mass number.
●​ Superscript - mass number
●​ Subscript - atomic number
1.3 Fuels
2. The Chemistry of Engineering Materials
2.1 Basic Concepts of Crystal Structures
Crystalline solid - formed when there is a regular
repeating 3D structure called crystal lattice.
Amorphous solid - formed when there is an aggregate
with no particular order (shapeless).