Organic Chemistry MCAT Practice Exam 2025 – The All-in-One Guide to Master Your Test Preparation!

In organic chemistry, reducing agents are substances that facilitate the reduction of other compounds by donating electrons. A defining characteristic of reducing agents is that they themselves undergo oxidation, which involves losing electrons while aiding in the gain of electrons by the substrate they are reducing.

Therefore, the correct choice points out that reducing agents gain electrons during the reaction. This is key to understanding their function: as they donate electrons to the substrate (thereby reducing it), they are oxidized in the process. Reducing agents often have substances like metals or certain functional groups that readily donate electrons.

This intrinsic quality of reducing agents highlights their role in redox reactions, wherein one species is reduced and another is oxidized simultaneously. Recognizing that they gain electrons reinforces the concept of electron transfer in redox chemistry, which is critical for predicting the outcomes of various organic reactions.