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A 'reducing agent' (also called a 'reductant' or 'reducer') is the element or a compound in a redox (reduction-oxidation) reaction (see electrochemistry) that reduces another species. In doing so, it becomes ''oxidized'', and is therefore the electron donor in the redox. For example consider the following reaction:
:2Mg(s) + O₂ → 2Mg²⁺(s) + 2O^2-
The reducing agent in this reaction is magnesium. Magnesium donated its two valence electrons, has become an ion, and allows itself as well as oxygen to become stable.
Reducing agents need to be protected from air because they react with oxygen.

Contents

What makes a strong reducing agent?

The Importance of Reducing and Oxidizing Agents

Example of redox reaction

Common reducing agents

Common reducing agents and their products

See also

External links

Sources

What makes a strong reducing agent?

Strong reducing agents easily lose (or donate) electrons. The atomic nucleus attracts its orbiting electrons. For elements whose atoms have relatively large atomic radii, the distance from the nucleus to the electrons is greater and its attraction for them weaker; these elements tend to be strong reducing agents. Also, elements that have a low electronegativity, “the ability of an atom or molecule to attract bonding electrons”¹, and relatively small ionization energies serve as good reducing agents too. "The measure of a material to oxidize or lose electrons is known as its oxidation potential"². The table below shows a few reduction potentials that could easily be changed to oxidation potential by simply changing the sign. Reducing agents can be ranked by increasing strength by ranking
their oxidation potentials. The reducing agent will be the strongest when it has a more positive oxidation potential and will be a weak reducing agent whenever it has a negative oxidation potential. The following table provides the reduction potentials of the indicated reducing agent at 25° C. Also remember the useful mnemonic devices, "OIL RIG," which means Oxidation Is Loss (of electrons) and Reduction Is Gain (of electrons), or "LEO the lion says GER," which means Loss of Electrons is Oxidation and Gain of Electrons is Reduction.

Oxidizing Agent	Reducing Agent	Reduction Potential (v)
Li+ + e- =	Li	-3.04
Na+ + e- =	Na	-2.71
Mg+2 + 2e- =	Mg	-2.38
Al+3 + 3e- =	Al	-1.66
2H2O(l) + 2e- =	H2(g) + 2OH -	-0.83
Cr+3 + 3e- =	Cr	-0.74
Fe+2 + 2e- =	Fe	-0.41
2H+ + e- =	H2	0.00
Sn+4 + 2e- =	Sn+2	+0.15
Cu+2 + e- =	Cu+	+0.16
Ag+ + e- =	Ag	+0.80
Br2 + 2e- =	2Br-	+1.07
Cl2 + 2e- =	2Cl-	+1.36
MnO4-2 + 8H+ + 5e- =	Mn+2 + 4H2O	+1.49

In order to tell which is the strongest reducing agent, change the sign of its respective reduction potential in order to make it oxidation potential. The bigger the number the stronger a reducing agent it is.
For example if one were to list Cu, Cl^-, Na and Cr in order, one would get their reduction potential, change the sign to make it oxidation potential and list them from greatest to least. One will get Na, Cr, Cu and Cl^-; Na being the strongest reducing agent and Cl^- being the weakest one.
A few good common reducing agents include active metals such as potassium, calcium, barium, sodium and magnesium and also, compounds that contain the H- ion, those being NaH, LiAlH₄ and CaH₂.
Also, some elements and compounds can be both reducing or oxidizing agents. Hydrogen gas is a reducing agent when it reacts with non-metals and an oxidizing agent when it reacts with metals.
2Li_(s) + H₂(g) -->2LiH_(s) hydrogen acts as an oxidizing agent because it accepts an electron donation from lithium, which causes Li to be oxidized.
Half Reactions 2Li_(s)⁰ -->2Li_(s)⁺¹ + 2e^-::::: H₂⁰_(g) + 2e^- --> 2H^-1_(g)
H₂(g) + F₂(g) --> 2HF(g) hydrogen acts as a reducing agent because it donates its electrons to fluorine, which allows fluorine to be reduced.
Half Reactions H₂⁰_(g) --> 2H⁺¹_(g) + 2e^-:::::
F₂⁰_(g) + 2e^- --> 2F^-1_(g)

The Importance of Reducing and Oxidizing Agents

Reducing agents and Oxidizing agents are the ones responsible for corrosion, which is the “degradation of metals as a result of electrochemical activity”³. Corrosion requires an anode and cathode to take place. The anode is an element that loses electrons (reducing agent), thus oxidation always occurs in the anode, and the cathode is an element that gains electrons (oxidizing agent), thus reduction always occurs in the cathode. Corrosion occurs whenever there’s a difference in oxidation potential. When this is present, the anode metal will begin deteriorating given that there is an electrical connection and the presence of an electrolyte.

Example of redox reaction

The formation of iron(III) oxide;
:4Fe + 3O₂ → 2Fe₂O₃
In the above equation, the Iron (Fe) has an oxidation number of 0 before and 3+ after the reaction. For oxygen (O) the oxidation number began as 0 and decreased to 2−. These changes can be viewed as two "half-reactions" that occur concurrently:
#Oxidation Half Reaction: Fe⁰ → Fe³⁺ + 3e⁻
#Reduction Half Reaction: O₂ + 4e⁻ → 2 O²⁻
Iron III (Fe) has been oxidized because the oxidation number increased and is the reducing agent because it gave electrons to the oxygen (O).
Oxygen (O) has been reduced because the oxidation number has decreased and is the oxidizing agent because it took electrons from iron (Fe)

Common reducing agents

★ Ferrous ion

★ Lithium aluminium hydride (LiAlH₄)

★ Nascent hydrogen

★ Potassium ferricyanide (K₃Fe(CN)₆)

★ Sodium amalgam

★ Sodium borohydride (NaBH₄)

★ Stannous ion

★ Sulfite compounds

★ Hydrazine (Wolff-Kishner reduction)

★ Zinc-mercury amalgam (Zn(Hg)) (Clemmensen reduction)

★ Diisobutylaluminum hydride (DIBAH)

★ Lindlar catalyst

★ Oxalic acid (C₂H₂O₄)

Common reducing agents and their products

Agent	Product
H2 Hydrogen	H+, H2O
metals	metal ions
C	CO2 carbon dioxide
hydrocarbons	CO2 carbon dioxide, H2O

See also

★ Oxidizing agent

★ electronegativity

★ electrochemistry

★ corrosion

★ electrolyte

External links

★ Table summarizing strength of reducing agents

Sources

★ ^2,3http://www.siliconfareast.com/ox_potential.htm

★ http://www.chemed.chem.purdue.edu/genchem/topicreview/bp/ch19/oxred_3.html

★ http://www.members.aol.com/logan20/agents.html

★ "Chemical Principles: The Quest for Insight", Third Edition. Peter Atkins and Loretta Jones pg. F76

★ ¹Electronegativity