Episode 3 — Electrochemical Reactions

Oxidation and Reduction

Learners will be able to:

• Identify the definition of oxidation and describe how it occurs when oxygen bonds to another element. • Explain that oxidation is the loss of electrons and calculate an element's oxidation number based on the number of electrons lost. • Apply the rules for finding oxidation numbers, including all elements starting at zero and metals in group 1 having an oxidation number of +1. • Determine the oxidation number of a sulfur atom in sulfuric acid by using basic maths to solve an equation. • Identify the charge on nitrogen in the nitrate ion by solving for N in an equation.