a substance that reduces another substance by supplying electrons to it Reducing agents cause other substances to be reduced in chemical reactions while they themselves are oxidized For example, tin(II) is a reducing agent in the following reaction
In a reduction reaction (which always occurs simultaneously with an oxidation reaction) the reducing agent is the chemical or substance which (1) combines with oxygen or (2) loses electrons to the reaction See Oxidation
a reactant that donates electrons to another substance to reduce the oxidation state of one of its atoms The reducing agent is the species that is getting oxidized
a substance capable of bringing about the reduction of another substance as it itself is oxidized; used in photography to lessen the density of a negative or print by oxidizing some of the slackened silver