Section C: Give a short answer to the question given below.
A shining metal ‘M’, on burning gives a dazzling white flame and changes to a white powder ‘N’.
a. Identify ‘M’ and ‘N’.
b. Represent the above reaction in the form of a balanced chemical equation.
c. Does ‘M’ undergo oxidation or reduction in this reaction? Justify
A shining metal burns with a dazzling white flame and changes to a white powder. This description matches the behavior of magnesium (\(Mg\)).
a. Identify 'M' and 'N': '\(M\)' is and '\(N\)' is .
b. Balanced chemical equation:
When magnesium burns in the presence of oxygen, it forms magnesium oxide. The balanced chemical equation for this reaction is .
c. Oxidation or reduction:
In this reaction, magnesium (\(Mg\)) undergoes oxidation. Oxidation is defined as the loss of electrons or an increase in oxidation state. Magnesium starts with an oxidation state of in its elemental form and ends with an oxidation state of \(+2\) in magnesium oxide (\(MgO\)). This increase in oxidation state indicates that magnesium is losing electrons. Thus, magnesium (\(M\)) undergoes oxidation in this reaction.