Subtopic: Oxidation

Objectives:

• identify and justify oxidation as exothermic reaction

Oxidation:

What do you understand by oxidation

reaction?

• Oxidation is a reaction in which a

substance reacts with oxygen.
• Oxidation of fats in food spoils it.
• The oxidation reaction in packaged food is prevented by adding some
antioxidants (substances that prevents oxidation) like citric acid or by
preventing the food to react with oxygen in air.

Do you think corrosion of metals are oxidation reactions?

Why are we studying oxidation in exothermic and endothermic reactions?

It is because oxidation reactions are generally exothermic.
• Oxygen combines with elements in the substance to form compound.

In incomplete combustion:
Carbon + oxygen carbon monoxide
In complete combustion:
Carbon + oxygen carbon dioxide
In respiration:
Carbon (glucose) + oxygen carbon dioxide
In rusting:
Iron + oxygen iron oxide
 Rusting

• Rusting of iron is an oxidation reaction which occurs very slowly and hence, the heat
released during the reaction is not detected or felt.

• However, if we can speed up the rusting process we can feel the heat released during this
reaction.

water
vapour Oxygen
(from the dissolves in the
air) water and
condenses reacts with the This forms brown flakes
on iron or metal to form of rust, which break off
steel iron oxide from the surface
• The iron and steel continues to produce rust until it has completely corroded.

Word equation: iron + oxygen iron oxide

Which factors speed up the rusting reaction?

Ans. Warm conditions and salt water.

Hand Warmers And Rusting:

• People living in cold countries generally use hand warmers to prevent their hands from
getting numb.

• The hand warmers generally use an exothermic reaction.

• Useful heat can be produced from rusting in the design of some kinds of hand warmer.
Sealed airtight package
contains:
• Iron powder which is
mixed with the
particles of charcoal
(activated carbon)

• salt water

• an insulating
substance such as
vermiculite
 Iron powder + oxygen
(Oxidation reaction)

The salt water acts as a catalyst

and speeds up the reaction so a
large quantity of heat can be
produced quickly

Insulating material prevents it

escaping to quickly so that a smaller The carbon particles take
amount of heat is released steadily to up the heat and spread it
warm the hands. out through the package.
Solve ‘End of the chapter questions’

1. Plan an investigation to compare the amounts of energy in two fuels.

2. What kind of reaction, exothermic or endothermic, takes place when:

a. A plant makes food in sunlight
b. Wood is used to cook food
c. The food in the plant is cooked on the fire
d. Some of the food is used in respiration in your body cells?