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Biological Science

Chapter 2: Activities

Activity 2.1 Redox Reactions

CDA2_1.jpg Reduction-oxidation reactions, or redox reactions, are fundamental to chemical evolution. Redox reactions involve the transfer of electrons between two atoms. That electron transfer can be complete, as in the transfer of an electron from a sodium atom to a chlorine atom (Na+Cl–), or it can be a shift in the degree of electron sharing, such as the oxidation of methane during combustion. Shifting electrons through redox reactions changes the potential energy of the products. Redox reactions are central to metabolic processes of living organisms today, including photosynthesis and cellular respiration, which allow organisms to obtain energy from food.

Ionic Bonds
Covalent Bonds

Chapter 2, Section 2.4, The Composition of the Early Atmosphere: Redox Reactions and the Importance of Carbon





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