What is an oxidation? Explained in a simple and understandable way

You often encounter oxidation in everyday life. You must have learned what oxidation is in chemistry lessons. We explain the process again easily understandable.

Oxidation: explanation and examples

• Oxidation means that one substance gives off electrons to another. The emitting component is called an electron donor, the receiving component is called an electron acceptor or an oxidizing agent.
• The most common - but not the only - oxidizing agent is oxygen.
• The theory becomes easier to understand with practical examples. As mentioned at the beginning, you can observe oxidation every day. For example, if you drive a car and have a petrol engine: it burns gasoline with the addition of oxygen - an oxidation.
• The Otto engine is just one example of combustion. If a carbon-containing substance is burned with the addition of oxygen, it is always an oxidation. So this also applies to your grill - regardless of whether you grill with coal or wood.
• If you light a candle, the material oxidizes under the influence of oxygen.
• If we go back to the car, you may notice an unwanted oxidation: rust. This is corrosion, i.e. the destruction of metal by oxidation.
• Incidentally, you yourself always oxidize, more precisely your metabolism. It oxidizes our food to water, CO2 and the body's own substances.
• As already mentioned, oxygen is not the only oxidant. Table salt, i.e. sodium chloride, is formed when sodium oxidizes under the influence of chlorine. We explain in another article where the salt in the sea comes from.

In the next practical tip, we'll explain what nitrogen oxides are.