Redox

From HvWiki

Redox reactions include all chemical processes in which atoms have their oxidation number (oxidation state) changed.

This can be a simple redox process, such as the oxidation of carbon to yield carbon dioxide, it could be the reduction of carbon by hydrogen to yield methane, or it could be the oxidation of sugar in the human body, through a series of very complex electron transfer processes

The term redox comes from the two concepts of reduction and oxidation. It can be explained in simple terms:

Oxidation describes the loss of an electron by a molecule, atom or ion.

Reduction describes the gain of an electron by a molecule, atom or ion.

Examples

• Iron(II) oxidizes to iron(III):

Fe²⁺ → Fe³⁺ + e^-

• Hydrogen peroxide reduces to hydroxide in the presence of an acid:

H₂O₂ + 2 e^- → 2 OH^-