Redox

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

Related Topics:
Chemical processes - Oxidation number

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This can be a simple redox process, such as the combustion 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.

Related Topics:
Combustion - Carbon - Carbon dioxide - Hydrogen - Methane

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The term redox comes from the two concepts of reduction and oxidation.

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

Related Topics:
Electron - Molecule - Atom - Ion

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

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These two terms go together, because in a chemical reaction, one cannot occur without the other; electrons lost by one compound must be gained by another. Reduction can also be considered to be the reducing of an atom's positive charge, and oxidation its opposite (gaining positive charge).

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