What is an oxidising agent? What happens when an oxidising agent is added to propanol? Explain with the help of a chemical equation.
Answer
Oxidising agents are those which themselves undergo reduction inorder to oxidise other compounds .
Example:
In the reaction given above, O 2 undergoes reduction and becomes H 2 O and the oxygen atom from O 2 oxidises NH 3 to form NO.
When an oxidising agent is added to propanol, it gets oxidised to propanoic acid and the following reaction is what takes place:
Here, Alkaline KMnO 4 and Acidified K 2 Cr 2 O 7 are the oxidising agents.