Redox
hideRedox (shorthand for reduction-oxidation reaction) describes all chemical reactions in which atoms have their oxidation number (oxidation state) changed. This can be either a simple redox process such as the oxidation of carbon to yield carbon dioxide or the reduction of carbon by hydrogen to yield methane (CH4), or it can be a complex process such as 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:
Though sufficient for many purposes, these descriptions are not precisely correct. Oxidation and reduction properly refer to a change in oxidation number — the actual transfer of electrons may never occur. Thus, oxidation is better defined as an increase in oxidation number, and reduction as a decrease in oxidation number. In practice, the transfer of electrons will always cause a change in oxidation number, but there are many reactions that are classed as "redox" even though no electron transfer occurs (such as those involving covalent bonds).
Non-redox reactions, which do not involve changes in formal charge, are known as metathesis reactions.
For more information about Redox, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with oxidation
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Nov 19, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- We've all read studies about the health benefits of having a life partner. The same thing is true at the molecular level, where amino acids known as cysteines are much more vulnerable to damage when single ...
New rechargeable zinc-air batteries coming soon
Oct 29, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A new breed of rechargeable zinc-air batteries is soon to be available, and may replace lithium-ion batteries in cell phones, laptops and other consumer items. Lithium-ion batteries store ...
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Sep 02, 2009 |
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After more than a decade of inquiry, a Princeton-led team of scientists has turned the tables on a long-standing controversy to re-establish an old truth about nitrogen mixing in the oceans.
This idea doesn't stink: New tech cuts industrial odors, pollutants
Aug 26, 2009 |
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A North Carolina State University researcher has devised a new technology that really does not stink. In fact, it could be the key to eliminating foul odors and air pollutants emitted by industrial chicken rendering facilities ...
Edible coating makes fish filets longer-lasting, healthier
Jul 16, 2009 |
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Consumers may be able to eat longer-lasting, potentially healthier fish fillets if research at Oregon State University makes its way to the supermarket.
Nickel isotope may be methane producing microbe biomarker
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Jun 22, 2009 |
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Nickel, an important trace nutrient for the single cell organisms that produce methane, may be a useful isotopic marker to pinpoint the past origins of these methanogenic microbes, according to Penn State and University of ...
New evidence that vinegar may be natural fat-fighter
Jun 19, 2009 |
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Researchers in Japan are reporting new evidence that the ordinary vinegar -- a staple in oil-and-vinegar salad dressings, pickles, and other foods -- may live up to its age-old reputation in folk medicine ...
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Jun 04, 2009 |
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In a surprise discovery that may help boxed wine shake off its image as a gauche alternative to bottles, scientists in Canada are reporting that multilayer aseptic cartons (a.k.a. ‘boxes’) may help reduce ...
Researchers engineer metabolic pathway in mice to prevent diet-induced obesity
Jun 02, 2009 |
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In recent years, obesity has taken on epidemic proportions in developed nations, contributing significantly to major medical problems, early death and rising health care costs. According to Centers for Disease Control and ...
Accolade for solar-hydrogen project
May 18, 2009 |
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A research project that aims to produce hydrogen on an environmentally friendly and cost-effective basis by using energy from the sun has won a prestigious E.ON research award.
Landfill cover soil methane oxidation underestimated
Apr 27, 2009 |
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Landfilled waste decomposes in the absence of oxygen and results in the production of methane. Landfills are classified as the second-largest human-made source of CH4 in the U.S. Additionally, landfill gas contains numerous ...
Did a nickel famine trigger the 'Great Oxidation Event'?
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Apr 08, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- The Earth's original atmosphere held very little oxygen. This began to change around 2.4 billion years ago when oxygen levels increased dramatically during what scientists call the "Great ...
Researchers Identify Problems in the Uranium Bioremediation Avenue
Mar 26, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Toxic uranium is often found in soil and groundwater in places where uranium was either mined or enriched to make nuclear fuel and weapons. Uranium contamination, which is a threat to wildlife ...
Scientists discover new platinum catalysts for the dehydrogenation of propane
Chemistry / Analytical Chemistry
Mar 13, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- The process to turn propane into industrially necessary propylene has been expensive and environmentally unfriendly. That was until scientists at U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National ...
Well-known enzyme is unexpected contributor to brain growth
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Mar 12, 2009 |
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An enzyme researchers have studied for years because of its potential connections to cancer, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension and stroke, appears to have yet another major role to play: helping create and maintain the ...
