Electrochemistry
What You’ll Learn
Redox (oxidation-reduction) reactions involve the transfer of electrons between reactants, where one species is oxidized (loses electrons) and another is reduced (gains electrons). Oxidation is the loss of electrons, while reduction is the gain of electrons. Oxidation numbers are assigned to atoms to keep track of the electrons in a reaction, with elements in their elemental state assigned an oxidation number of 0. In a redox reaction, the oxidation numbers of the atoms involved must change, with the atom being oxidized increasing in oxidation number and the atom being reduced decreasing in oxidation number.