What is the relationship between oxidation and oxIdising agent in a Re...
Relationship between Oxidation and Oxidizing Agent in a Redox Reaction
In a redox reaction, oxidation and reduction occur simultaneously. Oxidation is the loss of electrons, while reduction is the gain of electrons. An oxidizing agent is a substance that causes oxidation in another substance by accepting electrons from it. Therefore, the oxidizing agent is reduced in the process, while the substance being oxidized is oxidized.
Example of Redox Reaction
One example of a redox reaction is the combustion of methane gas:
CH4 + 2O2 → CO2 + 2H2O
In this reaction, methane is oxidized to carbon dioxide, while oxygen is reduced to water. Methane loses electrons and oxygen gains electrons, making it an oxidizing agent.
Explanation
In the above example, methane is oxidized because it loses electrons. In the process, it transfers its electrons to oxygen, which is reduced. Oxygen accepts the electrons and gains a negative charge, becoming an oxide ion. Therefore, oxygen is the oxidizing agent in this reaction.
It is important to note that the oxidizing agent is itself reduced in the process. In the above example, oxygen is reduced to water, which means it gains electrons and becomes a reduced form. This is because it accepts the electrons from methane, which is oxidized and loses electrons.
The relationship between oxidation and oxidizing agent in a redox reaction is that the oxidizing agent causes the oxidation of the substance being oxidized. It does this by accepting electrons from the substance, which becomes oxidized in the process. The oxidizing agent itself is reduced because it accepts the electrons and gains a negative charge.