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Chemistry Forums for Students => Organic Chemistry Forum => Topic started by: xpboss on January 18, 2018, 10:36:23 AM

Title: What makes amines reducing agent ?
Post by: xpboss on January 18, 2018, 10:36:23 AM

Hi,

Can you please explain to me why amines act as reducing agent, or give me a reference that explains that ?

Thanks and regards

Title: Re: What makes amines reducing agent ?
Post by: kriggy on January 19, 2018, 02:54:45 AM

Are they? cany you give example of such reaction?
Show us what you have done so far  ;)

Title: Re: What makes amines reducing agent ?
Post by: xpboss on January 22, 2018, 05:39:25 AM

Look up at the following paper:

Formation of Gold Nanoparticles Using Amine Reducing Agents

Title: Re: What makes amines reducing agent ?
Post by: clarkstill on January 22, 2018, 08:50:10 AM

A reducing agent is just a donor of electrons, and pretty much anything can act as a reducing agent, provided the species you are reducing is a strong enough oxidant. In your example, Au absolutely does not want to be at the 3+ oxidation level, and a relatively mild reductant (such as the electrons in the lone pair of an amine) will reduce it to Au(0).

If you want to understand what can and cannot act as a reductant or oxidant for a particular reaction I suggest you learn about redox potentials.

Title: Re: What makes amines reducing agent ?
Post by: xpboss on January 23, 2018, 12:09:53 PM

Quote from: clarkstill on January 22, 2018, 08:50:10 AM

A reducing agent is just a donor of electrons, and pretty much anything can act as a reducing agent, provided the species you are reducing is a strong enough oxidant. In your example, Au absolutely does not want to be at the 3+ oxidation level, and a relatively mild reductant (such as the electrons in the lone pair of an amine) will reduce it to Au(0).

If you want to understand what can and cannot act as a reductant or oxidant for a particular reaction I suggest you learn about redox potentials.

Thanks for your reply. I do understand what are redox reactions, however, once the amine reduce the metal it turns into a radical which is not stable. Therefore, there would be a reasonable reason why it still happens. Maybe the amine overcome decomposition?