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GCSE Chemistry · key term
A substance that causes another substance to be reduced and is itself oxidised.
Used by Edexcel and OCR
Specification 4.6 · Paper 1
Revise: Reduction in ExtractionCarbon is the reducing agent because it causes the copper oxide to be reduced. It does not make the oxygen disappear; the oxygen is transferred from the metal oxide to carbon.
A substance that removes oxygen from another substance and is itself oxidised.
Specification C3.3a, C6.1a · Paper 1 (Foundation), Paper 2 (Foundation), Paper 3 (Higher), Paper 4 (Higher)
A substance that causes another substance to lose oxygen and is itself oxidised.
Revise: Redox: Oxygen TransferA reducing agent causes another substance to be reduced. Here H₂ removes oxygen from CuO, so H₂ is the reducing agent. As it gains oxygen, H₂ is itself oxidised.
A substance that causes another substance to be reduced by removing oxygen from it.
Paper 1 (Foundation), Paper 2 (Foundation), Paper 3 (Higher), Paper 4 (Higher)
A substance that causes another species to be reduced by donating electrons; the reducing agent is itself oxidised.
Revise: Redox (Electrons)The electron donor is called the reducing agent because its electrons reduce another species. It is itself oxidised. In the magnesium–copper example, magnesium donates electrons, so magnesium is the reducing agent.
Track the metal, not the reducing agent: in copper oxide + carbon → copper + carbon dioxide, copper oxide is reduced because it loses oxygen, while carbon is oxidised because it gains oxygen.
An oxidising agent is itself reduced; a reducing agent is itself oxidised.
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