Question

In the reaction $S{{O}_{2}}$ with magnesium metal, MgO and sulphur are produced. Write a balanced equation for the reaction.is sulphur dioxide behaving as a reducing agent or an oxidizing agent in this reaction. Give a reason for your answer?

Answer 1

The chemical compound sulphur dioxide has the formula $S{{O}_{2}}$ . It's a poisonous gas that gives out the odour of burned matches. It is generated as a by-product of copper extraction and the combustion of sulphur-contaminated fossil fuels, and it is released naturally by volcanic activity. The odour of sulphur dioxide is similar to that of nitric acid.

Complete answer:
Magnesium (Mg) is a chemical element with the atomic number 12 and the symbol Mg. It's a gleaming grey solid that looks a lot like the other five elements in the second column of the periodic table; they all have the same electron configuration.
Redox is a chemical process that involves changing the oxidation states of atoms. The actual or formal transfer of electrons between chemical species is defined by redox reactions, which usually include one species (the reducing agent) suffering oxidation (losing electrons) while another species (the oxidising agent) experiences reduction (gains electrons). The chemical species that loses an electron is said to have been oxidised, whereas the chemical species that gains an electron is said to have been reduced.
Mg combines with $S{{O}_{2}}$ to create MgO and S.
When magnesium ribbon is burned in a sulphur dioxide-rich environment, the element magnesium reacts with the oxygen atom in the sulphur dioxide and burns constantly.
$2~Mg~+~S{{O}_{2}}~\to ~2~MgO~+~S$
This is a redox reaction (oxidation-reduction). Mg is a reducing agent, while $S{{O}_{2}}$ is an oxidising agent.
${{S}^{IV}}~+~4~{{e}^{-}}~\to ~{{S}^{0}}~$ (reduction)
$2~M{{g}^{0}}~-~4~{{e}^{-}}~\to ~2~M{{g}^{II}}~$ (oxidation)
Sulfur dioxide functions as an oxidising agent because the sulphur in it is being reduced.

Note:
Many organic reactions are redox reactions because they include changes in oxidation levels but no clear electron transfer. For example, when wood is burned with molecular oxygen, the oxidation state of carbon atoms in the wood increases while the oxidation state of oxygen atoms drops, resulting in the formation of carbon dioxide and water. The oxygen atoms go through reduction and gain electrons, whereas the carbon atoms go through oxidation and lose electrons. In this reaction, oxygen is the oxidising agent and carbon is the reducing agent.