Question

Show with suitable examples that hydrogen can act as a reducing agent and an oxidizing agent?

Answer 1

Hydrogen can act as reducing agent when it react with non metals and act as oxidising agent when react with metals.

This can be easily explain by following reaction—

(i) H2 + Cl2 --------------> 2HCl

in the above reaction hydrogen act as reducing agent i.e. self oxidise, oxidation no. Increase of H (0 to +1). And hydrogen donates electron to Chlorine and reduce it.

(ii) 2 Li + H2 -------------> 2 LiH

in the above reaction hydrogen act as oxidising agent i.e. self reduce, oxidation no. decrease of H (0 to -1) and now electron donation atom is lithium and oxidise.

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