Oxidation

oxidation

[‚äk·sə′dā·shən]

(chemistry)

A chemical reaction that increases the oxygen content of a compound.

A chemical reaction in which a compound or radical loses electrons, that is in which the positive valence is increased.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

oxidation

Reaction of a chemical compound with oxygen, as in a paint film in which oil reacts with oxygen to form a hard dry film.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture and Construction. Copyright © 2003 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Oxidation

 

in the most limited sense, the combining of any substance with oxygen. Generally speaking, “oxidation” describes any chemical reaction that basically involves the removal of electrons from atoms or ions. The most important common oxidizing agents are oxygen (O₂), ozone (O₃), hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), chlorine (Cl₂), fluorine (F₂), potassium permanganate (KMnO₄), perchloric acid (HClO₄), and nitric acid (HNO₃).

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.