Question

Hydrogen is a good reducing agent.

What do you understand by the above statement? Explain with the help of copper oxide as an example .

Answer 1

Hydrogen acts as a good reducing agent means, when hydrogen gas is passed over hot metallic oxides of copper, lead, iron, etc. it removes oxygen from them and thus reduces them to the corresponding metal. Let us consider the following example, in each of which metallic oxide react with hydrogen. Metallic oxide act as oxidising agents and hydrogen acts as a reducing agents.