Oxidation states of iron

A pile of scrap iron with brown rust visible

Source: © Shutterstock

Compare the two main oxidation states of iron and consider explanations for differences in this microscale practical. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

In this experiment, students observe what happens when drops of various chemicals are added to iron(II) and iron(III) solutions, consider explanations for what they see and try to write equations for each reaction.

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