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Ch.20 - Electrochemistry
Chapter 20, Problem 88c,d

Copper corrodes to cuprous oxide, Cu2O, or cupric oxide, CuO, depending on environmental conditions. (c) Copper peroxide is another oxidation product of elemental copper. Suggest a formula for copper peroxide based on its name. (d) Copper(III) oxide is another unusual oxidation product of elemental copper. Suggest a chemical formula for copper(III) oxide.

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1
To suggest a formula for copper peroxide, start by understanding the components: copper and peroxide. Peroxide typically refers to the O2^2- ion, which is a diatomic ion with a -2 charge.
Copper typically forms ions with charges of +1 (Cu^+) or +2 (Cu^2+). For copper peroxide, consider the charge balance between copper and the peroxide ion.
Assume copper forms a +2 charge in copper peroxide. To balance the charges, one Cu^2+ ion would pair with one O2^2- ion, suggesting the formula CuO2 for copper peroxide.
For copper(III) oxide, recognize that copper is in the +3 oxidation state. This is less common but can occur under certain conditions.
To balance the charges in copper(III) oxide, consider that each copper ion has a +3 charge. To balance with oxygen, which typically has a -2 charge, you would need two copper ions for every three oxygen ions, suggesting the formula Cu2O3 for copper(III) oxide.

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