Oxidation is a chemical reaction that underpins many changes we observe in daily life, often without realizing its significance. At its core, oxidation involves the transfer of electrons, …

To determine which elements have been oxidized or reduced, we look at changes in the oxidation number of the element.

This section explains oxidation and reduction in terms of the loss or gain of electrons, and describes the characteristics of a redox reaction. It also explains how to identify oxidizing and …

Oxidation numbers are a tool used by chemists to quickly determine the number of electrons in a given atom. It can also be interpreted as the “charge” of the atom. This is done by determining …

When an element, such as zinc or nitrogen, combines with oxygen, chemists say it is oxidized (or undergoes oxidation). They also use the term oxidation to describe many similar reactions that …

The oxidation number (or oxidation state) of an element in a compound is the charge its atoms would possess if the compound were ionic. The following guidelines are used to assign …

Associated SPICE resources Bushfire science 3: Oxidation may be used in conjunction with related SPICE resources to teach aspects of biodiversity and oxidation.