If a substance is a very strong oxidizing agent, what does this mean in terms of electrons?

Question

If a substance is a very strong oxidizing agent, what does this mean in terms of electrons?

Answer 1

Grrrr, Lion!

That means, if you gain electrons you are reduced - Grrr!
If you lose electrons you are oxidized. Lion!

So an oxidizing agent is a substance that causes other atoms to be oxidized. That is, it causes the other atoms to lose electrons, or to say it the other way, it takes electrons away fromt he other atom, the way that oxygen takes electrons away from other atoms (This may help you to remember how this works if you think about it like this....Iron is oxidized (rusted) the Iron combines with Oxygen to form Fe2 O3 - the iron loses electrons to the Oxygen - the iron is "oxidized" by the oxygen. The oxygen is an oxidizing agent.
But if you had iron and chlorine, it would be chlorine that would be taking the electrons. The iron would still be "oxidized" even if no oxygen were present because it is losing electrons to the chlorine...

Answer 2

PArt of the last answer is right part is wrong. Oxidation is the loss of electrons while reduction is the ganing of electrons. An oxidizing agent is a compound that gets reduced causing the other reagent in the reaction to be oxidized.

Therefore, inthe following equation

2Fe2+ + H2O2 + 2H+ → 2Fe3+ + 2H2O

The Iron is oxidize from Fe2+ to Fe3+ (loss of one electron) and the H202 is reduced to H20. Therefore, H2)2 is the oxidizing reagent and Fe2+ is the reducing reagent.

In the case of H2O, a convalent bond is formed between the hydrogen and the oxygen and the electron in the 1s orbital of hte hydrogen is shared with one electron of the 2P orbital of the oxygen. There is no loss or gain of electrons but the formation os a covalent electon sharing bond.

Answer 3

What Are Oxidizing Agents

Answer 4

substance strong oxidizing agent terms electrons

Answer 5

it has more electrons to combine with oxygen.