Dioxidized

Dioxidized is a chemistry term used to describe a substance that has been oxidized by the addition of two oxygen atoms, i.e., converted into a dioxide. The form is most commonly encountered as an adjective describing a product whose formula contains two oxygen atoms bound as oxide. However, the term is largely old-fashioned or informal, and modern chemical writing generally uses “oxidized to form” a specific oxide (for example CO2, SO2, SnO2) or simply refers to the oxide by its standard name.

Scope and usage: In inorganic chemistry, “dioxidized” may describe the process by which an element gains two oxygens to yield a dioxide. The term applies to both simple elements and compounds that form dioxides; for many elements, the natural oxide after two oxygens is a standard oxide with a well-established name. The verb “dioxidize” is rarely used in current textbooks. When used, it usually refers to oxidation that yields a dioxide rather than higher oxides or peroxides, although many oxides exist with two oxygen atoms in various structures.

Examples: Common dioxides include carbon dioxide (CO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and tin(IV) oxide (SnO2). Nitrogen can be oxidized to nitrogen dioxide (NO2). These illustrate the general idea that two oxygens are bound in the oxide product; other elements may form dioxides as stable products or transient intermediates.

In modern literature, the term “dioxidized” is largely replaced by explicit description of the oxidation state and the oxide formula, such as “oxidized to CO2” or “forms the dioxide SnO2.”