Question

What is a reducing agent?

Is hydrogen a reducing agent.

Answer 1

Reducing agent:

• When some substance is oxidized, it is said to lose electrons, and the substance which receives electrons is said to be reduced.
• A reducing agent is one of the reactants of an oxidation-reduction reaction which reduces the other reactant by giving out electrons to the reactant.
• If the substance has a strong tendency to lose electrons, then it is said to be a strong reducing agent

Hydrogen as a reducing agent:

• Hydrogen acts as an electron donor.
• When hydrogen reacts with metallic oxides of iron, copper, zinc, etc. it removes the oxygen present in the metallic oxides.
• When oxygen is removed from metallic oxides then they are reduced to their corresponding metal.
• For example: When hydrogen gas is passed over heated copper oxide then it gets reduced into copper metal and water is also formed.
• The reaction is as :$\mathrm{CuO}+{\mathrm{H}}_2\to \mathrm{Cu}+{\mathrm{H}}_2\mathrm{O}$.