Oxidation and Reduction Reaction

We get to hear the terms like oxidation and reduction a lot in CBSE class 12th Chemistry and
to be precise, oxidation means gaining oxygen in a chemical reaction We will be looking at
oxidation and reduction from two different points of view.
The chemical reactions which involve the transfer of electrons from one chemical substance
to another. These electron-transfer reactions are termed as oxidation-reduction reactions
or redox reactions. These reactions are accompanied by energy changes in the form of heat,
light, and electricity etc. The oxidation and reduction reaction also involve the addition of
oxygen or hydrogen to different substances.

Table of Content
 What is oxidation?
 What is reduction?
 Classical Idea of oxidation and reduction reactions
 Oxidation and reduction in terms of electron transfer
 Common Redox reactions
 How to balance the Redox reaction?
 Oxidation vs Reduction
 Summary
 FAQs

What is Oxidation?
According to Classical or earlier concept oxidation is a process which involves the addition
of oxygen or any electronegative element or the removal of hydrogen or any electropositive
element.
According to electronic concept oxidation is defined as the process in which an atom or ion
loses one or more electrons.

What is Reduction?
According to Classical or earlier concept reduction is a process which involves the addition
of hydrogen or any electropositive element or the removal of oxygen or any electronegative
element.
According to electronic concept reduction is defined as the process in which an atom or ion
gains one or more electrons.

Classical Idea of Oxidation and Reduction reactions:

Oxidation reactions involve:
1. Addition of oxygen:
C + O → CO
2 2 (oxidation of carbon)
2. Addition of electronegative element:
Fe + S → FeS (oxidation of Iron)
3. Removal of hydrogen:
H S + Br → 2 HBr + S (oxidation of sulphide)
2 2

4. Removal of electropositive elements:

2 KI + H O → I + 2 KOH (oxidation of iodide)
2 2 2

Oxidising agent is a substance which brings about oxidation. In the above examples O , S, 2

Cl , Br , and H O are oxidising agents.

2 2 2 2

Reduction reactions involve:

1. Addition of hydrogen:
N + 3 H → 2NH
2 2 3 ( reduction of nitrogen)
2. Addition of electropositive element:
SnCl + 2HgCl → SnCl + Hg Cl
2 2 4 2 2 ( reduction of mercuric chloride)
3. Removal of oxygen
ZnO + C → Zn + CO (reduction of zinc oxide)
4. Removal of electronegative element
2FeCl + H → 2FeCl + 2HCl
3 2 2 (reduction of ferric chloride)
Reducing agent is a substance which brings about reduction. In the above examples H2,
HgCl2 and C are Reducing agents.
Note: A substance, which undergoes oxidation, acts as a reducing agent while a
substance, which undergoes reduction, acts as an oxidising agent.

Oxidation and Reduction in terms of Electron Transfer

This is the most commonly used definition of oxidation and reduction and most
widely applicable.
 In this case, Oxidation is the loss of electrons and Reduction is the gain of electrons.
 A very clever mnemonic to remember this concept is oil rig.
OIL RIG
Oxidation is loss Reduction is gain
Oxidation and Reduction reactions are always interlinked. Because electrons are neither
created nor destroyed in a chemical reaction, oxidation and reduction always occur in pairs, it
is impossible to have one without the other. In the below reaction Magnesium gets oxidized
by losing two electrons to oxygen which gets reduced by accepting two electrons from
magnesium.
Since oxidation and reduction cannot occur individually, they as a whole are called ‘Redox
Reactions’. The reactant that oxidizes the other reactants is called as the Oxidizing agent and
reactant that reduces is called Reducing agent. There is quite some confusion about the aspect
of whether oxidizing agents accept or give away electrons.
The following steps can help you figure it out.

 An oxidizing agent oxidizes the other reactants

 This must mean that the oxidizing agent is getting reduced
 Oxidation is the loss of electrons (OIL RIG)
 So an oxidizing agent must gain electrons

Common Redox Reactions

The three common redox reactions are discussed below:
1. Combustion reaction – It is a type of redox reaction which occurs between molecular
oxygen and compound to form oxygen-containing products.
2C H +25O → 16CO (g)+18H O
8 18 2 2 2

2. Disproportionation reaction – It is a type of redox reaction where a single reactant is

reduced and oxidized. It is also known as an auto-oxidation reaction.
3ClO (aq) → ClO (aq)+2Cl (aq)
−
3
− −

3. Single replacement reaction – It is a type of redox reaction that involves two elements
switching places within a compound. It is also known as a single displacement reaction.
Zn(s)+2HCl(aq) → ZnCl (aq)+H (g) 2 2

How to Balance Redox Reaction?

Every chemical reaction must be balanced according to the “Law of conservation of mass”.
The chemical equations which involve oxidation and reduction can also be balanced with the
help of the following methods

 Oxidation number method.

 Ion electron method ( or half reaction method)

Oxidation number method:

The various steps involved in balancing a redox equation by oxidation method are discussed
here through an example.
Example: Balance the chemical equation by the oxidation number method
CuO + NH → Cu + N + H O
3 2 2

Solution:
Step-1 : Write the oxidation number of each atom in the skeleton equation

Step-2 : Identify the atoms which undergo change in oxidation number.

Step-3 : Calculate the increase and decrease in oxidation number w.r.t reactant atoms.

Step-4 : Equate the increase and decrease in oxidation number on the reactant side.

Step-5 : Balance the number of Cu and N atoms on both sides of the equation.

Step-6 : Now balance H and O atoms by hit and trial method.

Note:(i) In the reactions taking place in acidic medium, balance the O atom by adding the
required number of H O molecules to the side deficient in O atoms. Then balance the H atoms
2

by adding H to the side deficient in H atoms.

+

(ii) In the basic medium, first balance the number of negative charges by adding the required
number of OH ions to the side deficient in the magnitude of the charges. Then add H O
–
2

molecules on the other side in order to balance the OH ions added.

–

Ion electron method ( or half reaction method):

It is based on the Principle that the electrons lost during oxidation half reaction in a particular
redox reactions is equal to the electrons gained in the reduction half reaction. The method is
called half reaction method. The balancing is completed in the following steps:
Example: Balance the chemical equation by ion-electron method:
Cr O + Fe + H → Cr + Fe + H O
2 7
2- 2+ + 3+ 3+
2

Step-1 : Write the oxidation number of each atom in the skeleton equation:

Step-2 : Find out the species

involved in the oxidation and reduction half reactions:

Step-3 : Balancing oxidation half reaction:

As oxidation number increases 1, add one e on the product side to balance change in O.N.
–

Step-4 : Balancing reduction half reaction:

The decrease in oxidation number per Cr atom is 3 and the total decrease in O.N for two Cr
atoms is 6. Therefore, add 6e on the reactant side. In order to balance O atoms add 7 H O
–
2

molecules on the product side then balance H atoms by adding 14 H on reactant side.
+

Step-5 : Adding the two half reactions:

Oxidation vs Reduction
When a reactant loses electrons during a reaction, it is called oxidation. When a reactant
accumulates electrons during a reaction, it is called reduction. When metals react with acid,
this is a common occurrence. When a reactant loses electrons during a reaction, it is called
oxidation. When a reactant accumulates electrons during a reaction, it is called reduction.
When metals react with acid, this is a common occurrence.
A reduction-oxidation or redox reaction is a type of chemical reaction in which reduction and
oxidation occur at the same time. The reduced species receives electrons whereas the
oxidised species loses them. An oxidation process does not need the presence of oxygen,
despite its name.

Summary
Originally, the term oxidation was used to describe reactions where an element combines
with oxygen. For example, the oxidation of magnesium involves the chemical reaction
between magnesium metal and oxygen to form magnesium oxide.
The word reduction comes from the “to lead back” sense of the Latin stem. Thus, everything
that leads back to magnesium metal in the previously mentioned chemical reaction implies
reduction. An example of the reduction of magnesium oxide to magnesium metal is a reaction
between magnesium oxide and carbon at 2000 degrees Celsius to form magnesium metal and
carbon monoxide.
Due to the changes in oxidation states that occur without the independent transfer of
electrons, many reactions in organic chemistry can be classified as redox reactions. For
instance, the oxidation state of carbon atoms in the wood increases during the combustion of
wood with molecular oxygen, and that of oxygen atoms decreases as carbon dioxide and
water are produced. The oxygen atoms are reduced, formally receiving electrons, while the
carbon atoms are oxidised, losing electrons. Therefore, oxygen is the oxidising agent and the
reducing agent in this reaction is carbon.

Frequently Asked Questions – FAQs

What is the difference between oxidation and reduction?

It loses electrons in a reaction in chemistry if a substance is oxidized. It gains electrons in a
reaction if a substance is reduced. A reaction within which there is both oxidation and
reduction is called a REDOX reaction.

Why are oxidation and reduction Important?

Oxidation-reduction (redox) reactions are significant because they are the main natural or
biological and artificial energy sources on this planet. Oxidation of molecules usually
releases large amounts of energy by removing hydrogen and replacing it with oxygen.

What is the oxidation-reduction process?

It oxidizes the material that gives electrons. It forms a chemical called rust when iron reacts
with oxygen because it has been oxidized (the iron has lost some electrons) and the oxygen
has been reduced (the oxygen has gained some electrons). The cause of reduction is
oxidation.

What is called the oxidation state?

The oxidation state, also referred to as the amount of oxidation, defines a chemical
compound’s degree of oxidation (loss of electrons) of an atom. Antoine Lavoisier first used
the term oxidation to describe a substance’s reaction with oxygen.

What is an example of slow oxidation?

Iron rusting and wood-rotting are good examples of gradual oxidation.

What is meant by the oxidation-reduction reaction?

A chemical reaction where the oxidation number of an atom, ion, or molecule changes by
losing or gaining an electron is called an oxidation-reduction reaction.

What is the major difference between oxidation and reduction?

Reduction is the gain of electrons whereas oxidation is the loss of electrons.