Mary Alika Jane C.

Gervacio
IV-Cassiopeia

ASSIGNMENT IN CHEMISTRY
Redox Reactions in Daily Lives: An Article of Common Examples
Combustion. Combustion means burning. Any time a material burns, an oxidation-reduction
reaction occurs. The two equations below show what happens when coal (which is nearly pure
carbon) and gasoline (C
8
H
18
) burn. You can see that the fuel is oxidized in each case:
C + O
2
CO
2

2 C
8
H
18
+ 25 O
2
16 CO
2
+ 18 H
2
O
In reactions such as these, oxidation occurs very rapidly and energy is released. That energy is
put to use to heat homes and buildings; to drive automobiles, trucks, ships, airplanes, and
trains; to operate industrial processes; and for numerous other purposes.
Decay. The compounds that make up living organisms, such as plants and animals, are very
complex. They consist primarily of carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen. A simple way to represent
such compounds is to use the letters x, y, and z to show that many atoms of carbon, hydrogen,
and oxygen are present in the compounds.
When a plant or animal dies, the organic compounds of which it is composed begin to react with
oxygen. The reaction is similar to the combustion of gasoline shown above, but it occurs much
more slowly. The process is known as decay, and it is another example of a common oxidation-
reduction reaction. The equation below represents the decay (oxidation) of a compound that
might be found in a dead plant:
C
x
H
y
O
z
+ O
2
CO
2
+ H
2
O
Biological processes. Many of the changes that take place within living organisms are also
redox reactions. For example, the digestion of food is an oxidation process. Food molecules
react with oxygen in the body to form carbon dioxide and water. Energy is also released in the
process. The carbon dioxide and water are eliminated from the body as waste products, but
the energy is used to make possible all the chemical reactions that keep an organism alive and
help it to grow.


Fire. One of the most common "chemical reactions," combustion, is a classic redox reaction.
For example, when gasoline burns within the internal combustion engine of your car, carbon
within fuel is oxidized to carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. Meanwhile, oxygen within the air
feeding your automobile engine is reduced when it combines with the hydrogen atoms of the
fuel to form water. Similar reactions occur in most other fires, like forest fires, or the more
controlled one when you light up your barbecue.

Glycolysis. Glycolysis is a process fundamental to all living creatures. It is what ultimately
converts food into usable energy. Glycolysis is a multistep reaction that involves a series of
electron transfers between molecules while releasing free energy that the organism can use
for its various metabolic and physical functions. Glycolysis is an example in which a redox
reaction does not involve the use of oxygen.

Fermentation. You may or may not have dabbled in home-based winemaking. Fermentation is
actually a biological process that the organism, yeast, carries out. Sugars are processed by
yeast using a redox reaction to produce energy for their growth. Of course, most are more
interested in one of the "waste" products of this reaction, alcohol. Fermentation is a redox
reaction that occurs anaerobically, meaning in the absence of oxygen.

Batteries.Your typical AA or AAA battery that powers your flashlight or remote contains
another common example of how redox reactions work for you. In your typical alkaline battery,
for instance, the oxidation of zinc at the anode produces the electron flow that powers your
appliance. The electrons travel, via your appliance, to the cathode where they reduce
manganese dioxide in a classic redox reaction.

Photosynthesis. Photosynthesis, probably the single most important process on the planet,
ultimately makes the energy of sunlight available in usable form to all higher-level organisms,
like humans. It is accomplished through a series of redox reactions in which energy from light
is finally converted into carbohydrates that animals and humans can feed on. Oxygen is also a
vital byproduct produced by photosynthesis.