can I have a hint about the ionic equation?
Sorry this is probably not the best example because it doesn't have an ionic equation (because the reactants aren't ionic compounds)
So to find out which species reduces/oxidises you have to compare oxidation states.
so for I2O5:
I2O5 is neutral, so it has an overall charge of 0. The oxidation state of O is always 2-, so we can work out the oxidation state of I using this information. Let the oxidation state of I be x:
2x + 5(-2) = 0
2x =10
x = 5 i.e. the oxidation state of I is 5 in this compound
On the products side, I2 has an oxidation state of 0, and therefore I also has an oxidation state of 0.
So Iodine goes from oxidation state of 5 to 0, and since a lowering in oxidation number signifies reduction, Iodine is the oxidising agent.
Similarly, we have to do the same for C in CO (which has an overall charge of 0). Let x be the oxidation state of C
On the reactants side:
x+-2 =0
x=2
On the products side:
x+2(-2)=0
x=4
Therefore the oxidation state of Carbon goes from 2-->4, and an increase in oxidation state signifies oxidation, meaning that C is the reducing agent.
Sorry about that dodgy example, here's another one that's more like the ones that we've been doing:
Zinc + Iron Sulfate