Article
Article
Oxidation-reduction
Article By:
Taube, Henry Formerly, Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, California. Nobelist.
Last reviewed:April 2022
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.480300
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- Oxidation-reduction, published June 2014:Download PDF
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A two-component reaction involving the loss of electrons (oxidation) by one chemical species and the gain of electrons (reduction) by another; also known as a redox reaction. Both oxidation and reduction occur simultaneously and in equivalent amounts during any reaction involving either process. Oxidation-reduction is an important concept of chemical reactions which is useful in systematizing the chemistry of many substances (see illustration).
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