reducing agent

American

noun

Chemistry.

a substance that causes another substance to undergo reduction and that is oxidized in the process.

reducing agent British

noun

chem a substance that reduces another substance in a chemical reaction, being itself oxidized in the process Compare oxidizing agent

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of reducing agent

First recorded in 1795–1805

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Coke does not only produce the energy required for melting, but also serves as a reducing agent in the chemical reaction.

From Science Daily • Dec. 21, 2023

But the milling did prompt the aluminium to act as a reducing agent, as he expected.

From Scientific American • Mar. 30, 2023

NAD+ , a reducing agent, can donate its electrons and protons to organic molecules.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

"What we do is basically swapping carbon for electricity as a reducing agent," explained Adam Rauwerdink, the company's senior vice president of business development.

From Salon • May 17, 2022

It has a great affinity for oxygen and is therefore combustible and a good reducing agent.

From An Elementary Study of Chemistry by McPherson, William

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023