Fe2O3 + Fe + H2SO4 → FeSO4 + H2O

Question

How would I balance this using oxidation numbers? Is the Fe2 being reduced and the Fe being oxidized?

Answer 1

Yes, Fe in Fe2O3 is going from +6 total to +4 total in 2FeSO4. Fe on the left is going to +2 on the right. The easiest way to do this is to write it in half equations; i.e.,
Fe2O3 ==> 2Fe^2+ and
Fe ==> Fe^2+
and add the spectator ions later.
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