Oxidizing and Reducing Agent
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Oxidizing and Reducing Agent
How do you determine what compound is the oxidizing or reducing agent in a reaction?
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Re: Oxidizing and Reducing Agent
You can look at the oxidation number of an atom and if that number is greater in the product then that is the oxidized substance.
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- Posts: 68
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Re: Oxidizing and Reducing Agent
When you split the equation into its two half reactions, you can tell which is the reducing agent by looking at the oxidizing reaction. If Fe+2 is going to Fe and Cu is going to Cu+2, then Cu is being oxidized, meaning that Fe is the oxidizing agent since its the element taking the electron. On the other hand, Cu is the reducing agent since it is giving its electrons to the Fe, thus reducing it. I hope this makes sense!
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Re: Oxidizing and Reducing Agent
In addition to what the other comments say, you can typically determine the oxidizing and reducing agent by first determining which molecules are oxidized and reduced. Therefore, the molecule that is being reduced is also the oxidizing agent for the other, and the molecule that is being oxidized is the reducing agent for the other.
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