alleryIn the modern electron-transfer view, a REDUCING AGENT is
Aan acceptor of electrons
Ba species whose oxidation number decreases during the reaction
Ca donor of electrons
Da substance that loses oxygen during the reaction
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: C. a donor of electrons
1. syllabus lists the definitions explicitly. A reducing agent REDUCES some other species — to do that it must SUPPLY electrons.
2. Supplying electrons = donating them. So a reducing agent is an electron DONOR.
3. In the same step, the reducing agent is OXIDISED itself (it lost electrons), so its own oxidation number INCREASES.
4. Option A defines an oxidising agent (electron acceptor). Option B describes what happens to an oxidising agent (its oxidation number decreases). Option D mixes up classical-view oxygen language with the electron-transfer definition.
_Source: syllabus Chemistry Part 2, Ch 7, §7.2, p. 3 ¶3 (definitions list)._
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