Question

Use the concept of the standard reduction potential table to answer the following questions. If one species in a couple is a good oxidizing agent is the other species necessarily a good reducing agent? Explain. If one species in a couple is a good oxidizing agent is that same species necessarily a poor reducing agent? Explain

Answer 1

The reaction will oxidize one reactant and reduce one reactant, if one reactant is a good oxidizing agent then it is not necessary that the other reagent is a good reducing agent

Because, the reaction will take place such that Ecell must be greater than zero, so it may be possible that one is good oxidizing agent and other is weak oxidizing agent, the reaction will be feasible until the Ecell of the reaction is greater than zero

The second statement is true, since in the reaction if one is good oxidizing agent, then the reverse reaction will have very high negative value of Ecell, hence the overall Ecell will never be greater than zero, hence the same specie must necessarily be poor reducing agent