Oxidizing agent
An oxidizing agent accepts electrons from another substance, causing that substance to be oxidized while the agent itself is reduced.
Redox reaction: A chemical reaction in which electrons are transferred and oxidation states change. Oxidizing agents participate in redox reactions by accepting electrons.
Potassium permanganate: A purple manganese compound used as a strong oxidant in laboratory and industrial chemistry. It oxidizes many compounds and can serve as a redox titrant.
Reducing agent: A substance that donates electrons to another substance and is itself oxidized. It supplies the electrons that the oxidizing agent accepts.
Electron: A negatively charged subatomic particle found in atoms and involved in chemical bonding. Electron transfer is the defining event in oxidation-reduction reactions.
Reduction: The gain of electrons by an atom, ion, or molecule, often accompanied by a decrease in oxidation state. An oxidizing agent undergoes reduction when it accepts electrons.
Hydrogen peroxide: A reactive compound that can act as either an oxidizing or reducing agent, depending on its reaction partner. Its dual redox behavior makes it useful in bleaching, disinfection, and synthesis.
Oxidation: The loss of electrons by an atom, ion, or molecule, often accompanied by an increase in oxidation state. Oxidation describes the change imposed on the other reactant, not the oxidizing agent.
Chemical bond: An attraction that holds atoms or ions together through shared or transferred electrons. Bond changes often accompany the electron transfer caused by an oxidizing agent.
Oxidation state: A bookkeeping value representing an atom’s apparent charge under a set of electron-assignment rules. Its decrease tracks the oxidizing agent’s acceptance of electrons.
Chlorine: A reactive halogen element used in chemical production and water disinfection. Its electron-accepting reactions help inactivate many waterborne pathogens.