The oxidation-reduction reaction contains a reductant and an oxidant (oxidizing agent).
An oxidizing agent, or oxidant, gains electrons and is reduced in a chemical reaction. Also known as the electron acceptor, the oxidizing agent is normally in one of its higher possible oxidation states because it will gain electrons and be reduced.
A reducing agent (also called a reductant or reducer) is an element (such as calcium) or compound that loses (or "donates") an electron to another chemical species in a redox chemical reaction.
For the reaction:
<em>2Na + S → Na₂S.</em>
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Na is oxidized to Na⁺ in (Na₂S) (loses 1 electron). "reducing agent".
S is reduced to S²⁻ in (Na₂S) (gains 2 electrons). "oxidizing agent".
When plants lose more water than they can take up from the soil, they become water stressed. ... Such drought conditions certainly inhibit the growth of plants. If it goes long enough without water it will die because the plant uses water for a lot of different jobs needed to keep the plant alive, so the long-term effect is that the plant will die if the drought continues.
