Oxidizing agent
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An oxidizing agent is a substance used that oxidizes another substance in electrochemistry or redox chemical reactions in general. In doing so, the oxidizing agent, sometimes called an oxidizer, becomes reduced. Because the oxidizing agent receives electrons it is also known as an electron acceptor.
Common oxidizing agents
- Hypochlorite and other hypohalite compounds
- Bleach is probably the most common household oxidizer
- Iodine and other halogens
- Chlorite, chlorate, perchlorate, and other analogous halogen compounds
- Permanganate compounds
- Cerium compounds
- Hexavalent chromium compounds such as chromic and dichromic acids and chromium trioxide and chromate/dichromate compounds
- Peroxide compounds
| Agent | Product |
|---|---|
| O2 oxygen | Various including oxides, H2O, or CO2 |
| O3 ozone | Various including ketones and aldehydes, see ozonolysis |
| F2 fluorine | F– |
| Cl2 chlorine | Cl– |
| Br2 bromine | Br– |
| I2 iodine | I– |
| ClO– hypochlorite | Cl– |
| ClO3– chlorate | Cl– |
| HNO3 nitric acid | NO nitric oxide, NO2 nitrogen dioxide |
| Hexavalent chromium | Cr3+ |
| MnO4– permanganate | Mn2+ (acidic) or MnO2 (basic) |
| H2O2, other peroxides | Various including oxides, H2O |
There are many other oxidizing agents too numerous to list here.