Question

What is the difference between the oxidation number method and the ion-electron method?

Answer 1

The oxidation number technique and the half-reaction method are two ways for balancing a redox reaction's chemical equation. A redox reaction is a chemical process that consists of two chemical reactions running in parallel: oxidation and reduction. Half reactions of a redox reaction are what they're called. A redox reaction occurs when one substance undergoes oxidation and another material (or the same molecule) experiences reduction in a reaction mixture. The oxidation number or oxidation state of a chemical element is changed through oxidations and reductions.

Complete answer:
The oxidation number technique uses the oxidation numbers of chemical species in the reaction mixture to balance a chemical equation of a redox reaction. The degree of oxidation of a chemical element is measured by its oxidation number. The oxidation number is also known as the oxidation state, and it can be either a positive, negative, or zero value. When the oxidation number of an atom rises, we say that the atom has oxidised; when the oxidation number falls, we say that the atom has been reduced.
The half-reaction technique balances a redox process by employing two parallel half-reactions: oxidation half-reaction and reduction half-reaction. One reactant functions as the oxidising agent in redox reactions, oxidising the other while reducing itself.

Oxidation	Half cell method
The oxidation number technique uses the oxidation numbers of chemical species in the reaction mixture to balance a chemical equation of a redox reaction.	The half-reaction technique balances a redox process by utilising two parallel half reactions: oxidation half reaction and reduction half reaction.
Changes in the oxidation number of each atom in reactants and products are used in the oxidation number technique.	The half reaction technique employs the redox reaction's oxidation and reduction processes.

The main difference between the oxidation number technique and the half-reaction method is that the former employs the change in oxidation number of chemical species in the reaction mixture, whilst the latter uses the process of balancing two parallel half reactions before adding them together.

Note:
A redox reaction occurs when one reactant serves as an oxidising agent while another acts as a reducing agent. The oxidation number technique and the half reaction method are the two main methods for balancing a redox reaction. The difference between the oxidation number technique and the half-reaction approach is that the former utilises the change in the oxidation number of chemical species in the reaction mixture, whilst the latter uses the process of balancing two parallel half reactions before adding them together.