An oxidizing agent is a substance that gains electrons and gets reduced in a chemical reaction.
(i) Pb₃O₄ + 8HCl → 3PbCl₂ + Cl₂ + 4H₂O
- Oxidizing Agent: Pb₃O₄ (Lead(IV) oxide)
- Reason: Pb₃O₄ gets reduced to PbCl₂ while oxidizing Cl⁻ to Cl₂.
(ii) 2Mg + O₂ → 2MgO
- Oxidizing Agent: O₂ (Oxygen gas)
- Reason: O₂ gains electrons and gets reduced to O²⁻ in MgO.
(iii) CuSO₄ + Zn → Cu + ZnSO₄
- Oxidizing Agent: CuSO₄ (Copper(II) sulfate)
- Reason: Cu²⁺ in CuSO₄ gains electrons and gets reduced to Cu.
(iv) V₂O₅ + 5Ca → 2V + 5CaO
- Oxidizing Agent: V₂O₅ (Vanadium(V) oxide)
- Reason: V₂O₅ gets reduced to vanadium metal (V).
(v) 3Fe + 4H₂O → Fe₃O₄ + 4H₂
- Oxidizing Agent: H₂O (Water)
- Reason: H₂O provides oxygen, which oxidizes Fe to Fe₃O₄ while itself getting reduced to H₂.
(vi) CuO + H₂ → Cu + H₂O
- Oxidizing Agent: CuO (Copper(II) oxide)
- Reason: CuO gets reduced to Cu while oxidizing H₂ to H₂O.
