Oxidizing agent

In chemistry, oxidizing agent has two meanings. In one sense, an oxidizing agent is a chemical species that removes an electron from another species. It is one component in an oxidation-reduction (redox) reaction. In the second sense, an oxidizing agent or an oxidizer is a chemical species that transfers electronegative atoms, usually oxygen, to a substrate. Combustion, many explosives, and organic redox reactions involve atom-transfer reactions.

Electron acceptors

Electron acceptors participate in electron-transfer reactions. In this context, the oxidizing agent is called an electron acceptor and the reducing agent is called an electron donor. A classic oxidising agent is the ferrocenium ion [Fe(C₅H₅)₂]⁺, which accepts an electron to form Fe(C₅H₅)₂.

Extensive tabulations of ranking the electron accepting properties of various reagents (redox potentials) are available, see Standard electrode potential (data page).

Mechanism

Of great interest to chemists are the details of the electron transfer event, which can be described as inner sphere or outer sphere.