Which of the following is NOT an oxidizing agent?

An oxidizing agent is a substance that has the ability to accept electrons in a chemical reaction, leading to the oxidation of another substance. In organic chemistry, common oxidizing agents include compounds like pyridinium chlorochromate (PCC), Jones reagent (which includes chromium compounds), and chromium trioxide. All these agents facilitate the conversion of alcohols to carbonyl compounds (aldehydes and ketones) or carboxylic acids by removing hydrogen atoms.

In contrast, a tertiary alcohol does not possess the characteristics of an oxidizing agent. Tertiary alcohols are resistant to oxidation because they lack hydrogen atoms on the carbon that is bonded to the hydroxyl (-OH) group, which means they do not easily undergo oxidation to form other products like aldehydes or ketones. Instead, under certain conditions, they may undergo elimination reactions rather than oxidation.

Therefore, the presence of a tertiary alcohol does not facilitate oxidation reactions in the way that the other substances do, confirming that it is not an oxidizing agent.