To balance the equation for the oxidation of ethanol to acetic acid, we need to identify the oxidation states of the elements involved in the reaction and ensure that the number of atoms of each element is the same on both sides of the equation.The unbalanced equation is:C2H5OH + O2 CH3COOHFirst, we balance the carbon atoms:C2H5OH + O2 2CH3COOHNext, we balance the hydrogen atoms:C2H5OH + O2 2CH3COOH + H2OFinally, we balance the oxygen atoms:C2H5OH + O2 2CH3COOH + H2ONow, the balanced equation is:C2H5OH + O2 2CH3COOH + H2OTo determine the number of electrons transferred in the redox reaction, we need to identify the oxidation states of the elements involved in the reaction.In ethanol C2H5OH , the oxidation state of carbon is -2 in the CH3 group and -1 in the CH2OH group . In acetic acid CH3COOH , the oxidation state of carbon is -3 in the CH3 group and +3 in the COOH group .The change in oxidation state for the carbon atoms is:-2 to -3 1 electron gained and -1 to +3 4 electrons lost Since there are two carbon atoms in the reaction, the total number of electrons transferred is: 1 electron gained + 4 electrons lost = 5 electrons transferred