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Question
State few examples of redox reactions in daily life.
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Solution
Few examples of redox reaction in real life are:
1) Oxidation: Spoiling and aging
At the same time, oxidation-reduction reactions are responsible for the spoiling of food, the culprit here being the oxidation portion of the reaction. To prevent spoilage, manufacturers of food items often add preservatives, which act as reducing agents.
Oxidation may also be linked with the effects of aging in humans, as well as with other conditions such as cancer, hardening of the arteries, and rheumatoid arthritis. It appears that oxygen molecules and other oxidizing agents, always hungry for electrons, extract these from the membranes in human cells. Over time, this can cause a gradual breakdown in the body's immune system.
To forestall the effects of oxidation, some doctors and scientists recommend antioxidants-natural reducing agents such as vitamin C and vitamin E. The vitamin C in lemon juice can be used to prevent oxidizing on the cut surface of an apple, to keep it from turning brown. Perhaps, some experts maintain, natural reducing agents can also slow the pace of oxidation in the human body.
2) Fueling the space shuttle
Oxidation-reduction reactions also fuel the most advanced form of transportation known today, the space shuttle. The actual orbiter vehicle is relatively small compared to its external power apparatus, which consists of two solid rocket boosters on either side, along with an external fuel tank.
Inside the solid rocket boosters are ammonium perchlorate (NH4ClO4) and powdered aluminum, which undergoes an oxidation-reduction reaction that gives the shuttle enormous amounts of extra thrust. As for the larger single external fuel tank, this contains the gases that power the rocket: hydrogen and oxygen.
Because these two are extremely explosive, they must be kept in separate compartments. When they react, they form water, of course, but in doing so, they also release vast quantities of energy. The chemical equation for this is: 2H2+O2→2H2O+energy.
1) Oxidation: Spoiling and aging
At the same time, oxidation-reduction reactions are responsible for the spoiling of food, the culprit here being the oxidation portion of the reaction. To prevent spoilage, manufacturers of food items often add preservatives, which act as reducing agents.
Oxidation may also be linked with the effects of aging in humans, as well as with other conditions such as cancer, hardening of the arteries, and rheumatoid arthritis. It appears that oxygen molecules and other oxidizing agents, always hungry for electrons, extract these from the membranes in human cells. Over time, this can cause a gradual breakdown in the body's immune system.
To forestall the effects of oxidation, some doctors and scientists recommend antioxidants-natural reducing agents such as vitamin C and vitamin E. The vitamin C in lemon juice can be used to prevent oxidizing on the cut surface of an apple, to keep it from turning brown. Perhaps, some experts maintain, natural reducing agents can also slow the pace of oxidation in the human body.
2) Fueling the space shuttle
Oxidation-reduction reactions also fuel the most advanced form of transportation known today, the space shuttle. The actual orbiter vehicle is relatively small compared to its external power apparatus, which consists of two solid rocket boosters on either side, along with an external fuel tank.
Inside the solid rocket boosters are ammonium perchlorate (NH4ClO4) and powdered aluminum, which undergoes an oxidation-reduction reaction that gives the shuttle enormous amounts of extra thrust. As for the larger single external fuel tank, this contains the gases that power the rocket: hydrogen and oxygen.
Because these two are extremely explosive, they must be kept in separate compartments. When they react, they form water, of course, but in doing so, they also release vast quantities of energy. The chemical equation for this is: 2H2+O2→2H2O+energy.
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