Chemical Reactions and Equations • Class 10 Science • NCERT • CBSE
Oxidation is a chemical reaction in which a substance gains oxygen or loses hydrogen. In the reaction 2Mg + O₂ → 2MgO, magnesium is oxidised because it gains oxygen. Oxidation always occurs alongside reduction — together they are called redox reactions.
2Mg + O₂ → 2MgO (Magnesium oxidation)
CuO + H₂ → Cu + H₂O (Redox — CuO reduced, H₂ oxidised)
C + O₂ → CO₂ (Carbon oxidation)
OIL RIG: Oxidation Is Loss; Reduction Is Gain (of electrons)
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