Chapter 20, Problem 61A

Interpretation Introduction

Interpretation:

The place where oxidation occurs is to be mentioned with reason.

Concept introduction:

Oxidation is the loss of electrons by a molecule, atom or ion during a reaction. Oxidation occurs when the oxidation state of a molecule, atom or ion is increased. For example, $C{u}^{}\to C{u}^{2+}+2e^{-}$ in this reaction copper gets oxidized to +2 state by loss of 2 electrons.

Answer to Problem 61A

Correct answer: In the above setup, oxidation occurs at the Cu electrode because it is connected to the positive terminal of the cell and is the anode and oxidation always occurs at the anode.

Explanation of Solution

The copper electrode is connected to the positive terminal of the cell, therefore it loses electrons to convert into Cu²+ and gets oxidized which can be represented by the following reaction:

$C{u}^{}\to C{u}^{2+}+2e^{-}$

Conclusion

Oxidation occurs at the copper electrode because it is connected to the positive terminal (anode) and Cu gets oxidized to Cu²⁺.