Oxidation is an example of

Answer 1

Oxidation is a common example of a chemical reaction. It is commonly known as rust.




Here is a more in-depth scope of oxidation.


Oxidation is not truly a form of anything. Rather, it is a description of what occurs to a specific element involved in a chemical reaction. In a chemical reaction that deals with an oxidation of an element often requires the reverse state of another element known as reduction. This chemical reaction is known as an oxidation-reduction reaction, or redox reaction for short.


What happens when an element in oxidation is relatively a simple concept. That is when an element is oxidized that element accepts electrons. Accepting electrons makes the element more negatively charged and usually leads to an anion (negative ion).


The exact opposite occurs in the reduction of an element. This element is th one that acts as an acceptor of electrons thereby reducing its negative charge (making its charge more positive). This leads to two common routes - either the formation of a cation (positive ion) or simply reducing the element to its ground state (neutral charge).


For an example of an oxidation-reduction reaction, let us consider cellular respiration. Our cells use glucose (C6H12O6) to release energy for the cell to function. In cellular respiration, the decomposition (breakdown) of glucose requires oxygen (that's why we need to breathe!!).


The redox equation is as follows:


C6H12O6 + 6O2 -> 6CO2 + 6H2O


In this reaction, glucose's hydrogen is oxidized (formation of H+) and e- (electrons) is removed.


The oxygen is reduced because it accepts the e- from the hydrogen. This results in the formation of O2-.


The negatively charge oxygen and positively charged hydrogen then bond and create (instead of a ionic bond) a polar covalent bond. Those extra e- in oxygen are now shared though unequally.


As for the carbon and oxygen from the glucose now combine in a covalent bond to form the carbon dioxide.


In short, glucose is called the reducing agent because it donated the electrons and becomes oxidized. The oxygen is called the oxidizing agent because it accepts the electrons and becomes reduced.

Answer 2

Have you ever seen the Statue of Liberty. She is made out of copper, so she used to be brown. Now she is green do to oxidation.