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Question: In a redox reaction, the substance that accepts electrons is said to be what?...

In a redox reaction, the substance that accepts electrons is said to be what?

Explanation

Solution

A chemical reaction is a process that results in the chemical change of one set of chemical substances into another set of chemical substances. Chemical reactions are often defined as changes in the locations of electrons in the formation and breaking of chemical bonds between atoms, with no change in the nuclei (no change in the elements present), and may be represented using a chemical equation.

Complete answer:
Redox is a chemical process that involves changing the oxidation states of atoms. The actual or formal transfer of electrons between chemical species is defined by redox reactions, which usually include one species (the reducing agent) suffering oxidation (losing electrons) while another species (the oxidising agent) experiences reduction (gains electrons). The chemical species that loses an electron is said to have been oxidised, whereas the chemical species that gains an electron is said to have been reduced. To put it another way:
The loss of electrons or a rise in the oxidation state of an atom, an ion, or specific atoms in a molecule is referred to as oxidation.
The gain of electrons or a drop in the oxidation state of an atom, an ion, or specific atoms in a molecule is referred to as reduction (a reduction in oxidation state).
A redox reaction, as you may know, entails the transfer of electrons from a chemical species that is losing electrons to a chemical species that is gaining electrons. Oxidation occurs when a chemical species loses electrons, whereas reduction occurs when a chemical species acquires electrons.
As a result, because its electrons are utilised to decrease another chemical species, the species that loses electrons serves as a reducing agent.
Similarly, a chemical species that acquires electrons functions as an oxidation agent because it absorbs electrons from another chemical species and therefore oxidises it. As a result, the chemical species that absorbs electrons is referred to as an oxidising agent.

Note:
Many organic reactions are redox reactions because they include changes in oxidation levels but no clear electron transfer. For example, when wood is burned with molecular oxygen, the oxidation state of carbon atoms in the wood increases while the oxidation state of oxygen atoms drops, resulting in the formation of carbon dioxide and water. The oxygen atoms go through reduction and gain electrons, whereas the carbon atoms go through oxidation and lose electrons. In this reaction, oxygen is the oxidising agent and carbon is the reducing agent.