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

Question

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

Answer 1

Grrrr, Lion!

If you gain electrons you are reduced, if you lose electrons you are oxidized.

If you gain electrons, your electrical charge is reduced - that is, your cahrge is made more negative, right?

So a reducing agent is a substance that causes other atoms to be reduced, to gain electrons. So that means a strong reducing agent is a substance that forces other atoms to gain electrons....

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

Reducing agents want to give away electrons. Think of it this way, it wants to reduce the overall charge of another atom.

Oxidizing agents want to recieve electrons, so they are reduced by a reducing agent.

A strong reducing agent means it is very willing to give away more electrons.

Answer 4

Reducing Agent Means