Reducing and Oxidizing Agents

[Emily Kennedy 4L]

How can something be both the Reducing and Oxidizing agent?

[Dina Geotas 4A]

A reactant is both the reducing and oxidizing agent when it's used to form both products. For example, 2H2O2 -> 2H2O + O2

[Andrew Bennecke]

If the single reactant has two products in the given equation, we look at the oxidation numbers of each element within each compound. For example, in
Br2 (l) -> BrO3- (aq) + Br- (aq), the Br on the reactant side has an Oxidation number of 0, because it is a diatomic molecule. The Br within BrO3- has an oxidation number of 5+ while the Br within the Br- has an oxidation number of 1-. Therefore, since the oxidation number of Br increases from Br2 to Bro3-, Br2 is the reducing agent while the oxidation number decreases from Br2 to Br-, making Br2 the oxidizing agent in this case. Since Br2 oxidizes in one half reaction and reduces in the other half reaction, it is both a reducing agent and oxidizing agent.

[505211599]

A reactant can be both a reducing and oxidizing agent when it is used in forming products with different oxidation states.