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5.6: Oxidizing and Reducing Agents

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    24191
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    Compounds that are capable of accepting electrons, such as O2 or F2, are called oxidants (or oxidizing agents) because they can oxidize other compounds. In the process of accepting electrons, an oxidant is reduced. Compounds that are capable of donating electrons, such as sodium metal or cyclohexane (C6H12), are called reductants (or reducing agents) because they can cause the reduction of another compound. In the process of donating electrons, a reductant is oxidized. These relationships are summarized in Equation 3.30:

    oxidant + reductant → oxidation−reduction

    \[ \underset {gains\, e \, (is \, reduced)}{O_2 (g)} + \underset {loses \, e \, (is \, oxidized)}{4Na (s)} \rightarrow 2 \underset {redox \, reaction}{Na_2O (s)} \tag{3.30}\]

    Some oxidants have a greater ability than others to remove electrons from other compounds. Oxidants can range from very powerful, capable of oxidizing most compounds with which they come in contact, to rather weak. Both F2 and Cl2 are powerful oxidants: for example, F2 will oxidize H2O in a vigorous, potentially explosive reaction. In contrast, S8 is a rather weak oxidant, and O2 falls somewhere in between. Conversely, reductants vary in their tendency to donate electrons to other compounds. Reductants can also range from very powerful, capable of giving up electrons to almost anything, to weak. The alkali metals are powerful reductants, so they must be kept away from atmospheric oxygen to avoid a potentially hazardous redox reaction.

    A combustion reaction, first introduced in Section 3.2 "Determining Empirical and Molecular Formulas", is an oxidation–reduction reaction in which the oxidant is O2. One example of a combustion reaction is the burning of a candle, shown in Figure 3.9 "An Example of a Combustion Reaction". Consider, for example, the combustion of cyclohexane, a typical hydrocarbon, in excess oxygen. The balanced chemical equation for the reaction, with the oxidation state shown for each atom, is as follows:

    \[ \underset {-2}{C_6} \overset {+1}{H_{12}} + 9 \overset {0}{O_2} \rightarrow 6 \overset {+4}{C} \underset {-2}{O_2} + 6 \overset {+1}{H_2} \underset {-2}{O} \tag{3.31}\]

    If we compare the oxidation state of each element in the products and the reactants, we see that hydrogen is the only element whose oxidation state does not change; it remains +1. Carbon, however, has an oxidation state of −2 in cyclohexane and +4 in CO2; that is, each carbon atom changes its oxidation state by six electrons during the reaction. Oxygen has an oxidation state of 0 in the reactants, but it gains electrons to have an oxidation state of −2 in CO2 and H2O. Because carbon has been oxidized, cyclohexane is the reductant; because oxygen has been reduced, it is the oxidant. All combustion reactions are therefore oxidation–reduction reactions.

    We described the defining characteristics of oxidation–reduction, or redox, reactions in Chapter 7. Most of the reactions we considered there were relatively simple, and balancing them was straightforward. When oxidation–reduction reactions occur in aqueous solution, however, the equations are more complex and can be more difficult to balance by inspection. Because a balanced chemical equation is the most important prerequisite for solving any stoichiometry problem, we need a method for balancing oxidation–reduction reactions in aqueous solution that is generally applicable. One such method uses oxidation states, and a second is referred to as the half-reaction method. We show you how to balance redox equations using oxidation states in this section; the half-reaction method is discussed in the second semester

    Note the Pattern

    Species in high oxidation states act as oxidants, whereas species in low oxidation states act as reductants.

    When an aqueous solution of a compound that contains an element in a high oxidation state is mixed with an aqueous solution of a compound that contains an element in a low oxidation state, an oxidation–reduction reaction is likely to occur.

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    5.6: Oxidizing and Reducing Agents is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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