Which of the following is the strongest oxidizing agent?

• A. F_2 (fluorine gas)
• B. MnO_4^- (permanganate ion)
• C. O_2 (oxygen gas)
• D. Cl_2 (chlorine gas)

Answer: (A)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand that an oxidizing agent is a substance that gains electrons (is reduced) in a redox reaction, and the strongest oxidizing agent has the greatest tendency to be reduced.
2. Recall that the strength of oxidizing agents can be compared using their standard reduction potentials (E° values), which indicate how readily a species gains electrons.
3. Look up or recall the standard reduction potentials for the half-reactions involving each species: \(\mathrm{F_2}\), \(\mathrm{MnO_4^-}\), \(\mathrm{O_2}\), and \(\mathrm{Cl_2}\).
4. Compare the standard reduction potentials: the species with the highest positive E° value is the strongest oxidizing agent because it has the greatest tendency to gain electrons.
5. Identify that fluorine gas (\(\mathrm{F_2}\)) has the highest standard reduction potential among the given options, making it the strongest oxidizing agent.