I would like to know if the following statement is true or false.

Question

The following reaction is a redox reaction.

Al2O3 (aq) + 6NaOH (aq) ==> 2Al(OH)3 (s) + 3Na2O (aq)

Answer 1

False. In a redox reaction, electrons are transferred between species, causing 2 or more chemical species to have different charges. For example, consider the reaction:

2 Mg(s) + O₂(g) => 2 MgO(s)

In the equation, Mg is neutral on the reactant side but loses, or TRANSFERS, electrons to become Mg⁺². The same goes for Oxygen. On the reaction side, each element of oxygen is neutral before it gains the electrons from the Mg; on the product side, it has a charge of -2.

However, in this reaction, none of the chemical species, Al(3+), Na(+1), OH(-1),or O(-2), have electrons transferred between them, thus none of the species has a change in charge. Instead, this is an example of a precipitation reaction because an insoluble product, (Al(OH)3), form.