Name: Allotropes of Sulphur
Uploaded: 2019-07-19
Duration: 6 min 39 s
Description: Sulphur is one of the most useful non-metals which has wide applications in our industries. Watch this video to learn about the important allotropes of sulphur.

Question

(c) ${OF}_{2}$ should be called oxygen difluoride and not fluorine oxide. Why?

(d)

H_{2} S

acts only as a reducing agent but

{SO}_{2}

acts both as a reducing agent as well as an oxidizing agent. Why?

Accepted Answer

While writing the name of a compound, the name of electropositive element is written first followed by the name of electronegative element. In ${OF}_{2}$ , oxygen is electropositive as compared to fluorine. So, ${OF}_{2}$ should be called as oxygen difluoride.

${SO}_{2}$ acts as a reducing agent because of the liberation of nascent hydrogen in the presence of moisture. Alkali neutralizes the acid $(H_{2} {SO}_{4})$ and shifts the equilibrium in the forward direction producing more nascent hydrogen. However, in acidic medium, the equilibrium is suppressed resulting in a lesser amount of nascent hydrogen. Therefore, ${SO}_{2}$ is better reducing agent in alkaline medium than in the acidic medium.In sulphur dioxide, the oxidation state of sulphur is $+ 4$ , it can lose its two more electron to attain $+ 6$ oxidation state.

${SO}_{2} + 2 H_{2} O \overset{}{\to} H_{2} {SO}_{4} + 2 H$

On the other hand, In $H_{2} S$ the oxidation state of sulphur is $- 2$ so it can loss electron to attain oxidation state $(+ 4$ and $+ 6)$ but it can not gain the electron. Therefore $H_{2} S$ act as reducing agent.

(c) ${OF}_{2}$ should be called oxygen difluoride and not fluorine oxide. Why?
(d) $H_{2} S$ acts only as a reducing agent but ${SO}_{2}$ acts both as a reducing agent as well as an oxidizing agent. Why?

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(c) OF2 should be called oxygen difluoride and not fluorine oxide. Why? (d) H2S acts only as a reducing agent but SO2 acts both as a reducing agent as well as an oxidizing agent. Why?