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Reaction between Copper nitrate and ascorbic acid
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Muazu Bala
Reaction between Copper nitrate and ascorbic acid
It is always good to cite the link when you mention that you saw a redox reaction online. It is wrong anyway.
Aqueous Cu(II) is not an strong enough oxidizing agent that it will convert organic matter into carbon dioxide. In other words, it is a weak oxidizing agent. Ascorbic acid is oxidized to dehydroascorbic acid and Cu(II) should be reduced to Cu(I). If you heat the solution strongly, Cu(I) may convert into Cu$_2$O.
Ascorbic acid is indeed an acid, but there is nothing which prevents its conjugate base to behave like a reducing agent. Many organic acids can behave like that.
I am really confused as to how they determined that to be the product.
By conducting the experiment. There is no other simple way to predict what will happen in a complex redox reaction.
It is always good to cite the link when you mention that you saw a redox reaction online. It is wrong anyway.
Aqueous Cu(II) is not an strong enough oxidizing agent that it will convert organic matter into carbon dioxide. In other words, it is a weak oxidizing agent. Ascorbic acid is oxidized to dehydroascorbic acid and Cu(II) should be reduced to Cu(I). If you heat the solution strongly, Cu(I) may convert into Cu$_2$O.
Ascorbic acid is indeed an acid, but there is nothing which prevents its conjugate base to behave like a reducing agent. Many organic acids can behave like that.
I am really confused as to how they determined that to be the product.
By conducting the experiment. There is no other simple way to predict what will happen in a complex redox reaction.
Would the way I am thinking about it make sense i.e. you get $\ce{Cu(NO3)2 + C6H8O6 <=> HNO3 + CuC6H7O6}$ or would the copper precipitate out? Is there a way to theoretically predict the product of this reaction with some confidence without an experiment?More
"Is there a way to theoretically predict the product of this reaction with some confidence without an experiment? –" I am afraid not. Chemistry has not progressed enough to predict the products theoretically from scratch. May in another 50 or 100 years this will be possible for complex reactions as yours. Today, you need to More
It is always good to cite the link when you mention that you saw a redox reaction online. It is wrong anyway.
Aqueous Cu(II) is not an strong enough oxidizing agent that it will convert organic matter into carbon dioxide. In other words, it is a weak oxidizing agent. Ascorbic acid is oxidized to dehydroascorbic acid and Cu(II) should be reduced to Cu(I). If you heat the solution strongly, Cu(I) may convert into Cu$_2$O.
Ascorbic acid is indeed an acid, but there is nothing which prevents its conjugate base to behave like a reducing agent. Many organic acids can behave like that.
By conducting the experiment. There is no other simple way to predict what will happen in a complex redox reaction.
It is always good to cite the link when you mention that you saw a redox reaction online. It is wrong anyway.
Aqueous Cu(II) is not an strong enough oxidizing agent that it will convert organic matter into carbon dioxide. In other words, it is a weak oxidizing agent. Ascorbic acid is oxidized to dehydroascorbic acid and Cu(II) should be reduced to Cu(I). If you heat the solution strongly, Cu(I) may convert into Cu$_2$O.
Ascorbic acid is indeed an acid, but there is nothing which prevents its conjugate base to behave like a reducing agent. Many organic acids can behave like that.
By conducting the experiment. There is no other simple way to predict what will happen in a complex redox reaction.
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