An electron acceptor receives electron density or electrons in a specified interaction. In redox chemistry, it is reduced when it accepts electrons, and the electron donor is oxidized.
For example, oxygen is the terminal electron acceptor of an aerobic mitochondrial respiratory chain, ultimately being reduced to water. In a Lewis acid-base interaction, electron-pair acceptance can instead form a bond without a net redox change. Stating the process distinguishes formal electron transfer from donation into an acceptor orbital.
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