Hi Daniel,

I am confused however as H+ is a product of the reaction, which I assumed to mean that ascorbic acid lost (+) charge, gaining electrons and thus being reduced.

I would not use H+ as an indicator of what is going on with a molecule, as molecules often exchange protons just to get certain mechanisms done. Proton transfer is a fast process and often doesn't tell you a lot about the reactivity (at least on the MCAT).

For this reaction, I have attached an example with the structures that I assume were provided.

https://alumniubcca-my.s...GYPSCcEMo4WWaQ?e=GVFG1F

Essentially what is going on when going from ascorbic acid to dehydroascorbic acid is that you are losing CH bonds and gaining CO bonds. By bonding to a more electronegative element (oxygen), the Cs in dehydroascorbate have less electron density, and thus are considered to be oxidized.

Please let me know if this is unclear,

Katt