Oxidizing agent

An oxidizing agent (also oxidant or oxidizer ) is a substance which is capable of oxidizing other materials and thereby even reduced. Oxidants can accept electrons, while reduction means they release. Therefore, the oxidizing agent are also referred to as electron acceptors.

Change of the term

In a narrower, historical sense is an oxidizing agent - in addition to oxygen itself - initially a substance can emit oxygen ( we speak then but better oxygen transfer agents ). In view of the fact that oxygen in each combustion itself - as well as fluorine, chlorine, etc. - receives the electrons from the oxidized ( internal ) material, the present definition is provided as an electron acceptor.

Examples

Oxygen difluoride and fluorine themselves after Kryptondifluorid the strongest oxidizing agent at all. Other examples include hydrogen peroxide H2O2 and its adducts such as sodium, oxygen-containing anions ( oxyanions ) of transition metals in high oxidation states such as permanganate MnO4 - (see potassium permanganate ) or dichromate Cr2O72 and chromium (VI ) oxide ( Jones oxidation ), metal ions such as Ce4 , noble metal ions such as silver and copper, anions of halogen oxo acids such as bromate BrO3 -, and hypochlorite CIO -, or even elements like oxygen (Latin: Oxygenium, therefore, the terms " oxidizing agent", etc.), sulfur, and the halogens fluorine, chlorine, bromine and iodine.

Oxidation and Reduction

Oxidizing agents react with reducing agents in a redox reaction, it is based, for example, the volumetric method of redox titration. Oxidants oxidize substances and ourselves are reduced.

Oxidizing agent as a bleaching agent and disinfectant

As

  • Bleaching agent in the paper making and in the manufacture and cleaning of textiles

As well as

  • Disinfectant

Are (or were ) following oxidant of everyday meaning:

  • Ozone (O3 ) and the peroxides of hydrogen peroxide ( H2O2) and peroxyacetic acid ( peracetic acid, abbreviation PES, CH3CO3H ) - oxygen-based bleaching agent;
  • The hypochlorite sodium hypochlorite ( NaOCl, chlorine bleach / chlorine bleach) / Javel water / eau de Javel / potassium ( KOCl ) and chlorine (gas, aqueous solution) - bleach or chlorine-based;
  • In detergents and cleaning agents, the peroxides perborate and percarbonate;
  • Also for disinfecting iodine.

Chlorine -based methods are more efficient and cheaper than oxygen -based, on the other hand, environmentally dubious and rather unpleasant smelling. However, ozone acts on people like chlorine - irritant to toxic.

Substance list

→ Category: Oxidizing substance

Chromium trioxide Jones-Oxidation White King
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