Reduksjon

Reduksjon is a Norwegian term meaning the act or process of reducing or being reduced. The word is used across disciplines to describe making something smaller, simpler, or at a lower oxidation state. It originates from Latin reducere and is part of the broader concept of opposite to oxidation in chemistry.

In chemistry, reduction is a redox process in which a substance gains electrons, resulting in a decrease of its oxidation state. It is paired with oxidation, where electrons are lost. The substance that donates electrons is the reducing agent. Examples include the reduction of metal oxides by hydrogen or carbon: CuO + H2 → Cu + H2O, or Fe2O3 + 3 CO → 2 Fe + 3 CO2. In organic chemistry, carbonyl compounds can be reduced to alcohols using hydrogenation or hydride reagents, transforming aldehydes and ketones into primary or secondary alcohols.

In biochemistry and metabolism, reductions are essential in reductive biosynthesis and energy production. Electron carriers such as NADH and NADPH donate electrons in various pathways, enabling synthesis of biomolecules and detoxification processes. These reductions are tightly linked to cellular energy balance and redox homeostasis.

Other uses of reduksjon appear in mathematics and computer science, where reduction denotes simplification or dimensionality reduction, such as reducing a problem or data set to a more manageable form. In linguistics, phonetic reduction describes the weakening or omission of sounds in connected speech, affecting pronunciation and rhythm.

Overall, reduksjon covers a range of processes that involve making something less or gaining electrons, depending on the field of application.