oxidaci

Oxidation is a chemical process in which an element or compound loses electrons, leading to an increase in its oxidation state. Although oxygen is a classic oxidant, oxidation is not limited to reactions with oxygen; it can occur without it, and many oxidation reactions involve other electron acceptors.

In most reactions, oxidation occurs together with reduction in a coupled process called a redox (reduction-oxidation) reaction. The substance that gains electrons is reduced and acts as the oxidizing agent, while the substance that loses electrons is oxidized and acts as the reducing agent. Tracking oxidation states helps describe and balance these transfers.

Common examples include the rusting of iron (iron reacting with water and oxygen to form iron oxides), the combustion of fuels (hydrogen or hydrocarbons reacting with oxygen to yield water and carbon dioxide), and numerous biological redox reactions. In biology, redox reactions are central to energy production, such as cellular respiration, where electron carriers like NAD+ and FAD shuttle electrons.

Oxidation has wide applications and implications. Controlled oxidation is used in chemical synthesis, bleaching, and industrial processes, while uncontrolled oxidation can cause corrosion and material degradation. Environmental chemistry considers oxidation in pollutant transformation and atmospheric chemistry, where oxidative reactions influence air quality and climate.

Historically, the concept evolved from Lavoisier’s oxygen theory of combustion and later broadened to a fundamental electron-transfer idea that underpins much of chemistry and biochemistry. See also redox, corrosion, metabolism.