oxidation
In chemistry, the loss of electrons, gain of oxygen, or loss of hydrogen by an atom, ion, or molecule during a chemical reaction.
At a simple level, oxidation may be regarded as the reaction of a substance with oxygen. For example, rusting, respiration, and combustion (burning) are all oxidation reactions. When carbon is burned in air it is oxidized to carbon dioxide:
Oxidation may be brought about by reaction with another compound (oxidizing agent), which simultaneously undergoes reduction, or electrically at the anode (positive electrode) of an electrolytic cell.
oxidation
| In earth science, a form of chemical weathering caused by the chemical reaction that takes place between certain iron-rich minerals in rock and the oxygen in water. It tends to result in the formation of a red-coloured soil or deposit. The inside walls of canal tunnels and bridges often have deposits formed in this way. |
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