Transfer of Electrons: Redox Lesson

Tuesday in class we were taught a lesson over redox reactions and the different types there are. Redox reactions consist of electrons being transferred from the metal to the nonmetal. If a species loses electrons, it is said to be oxidized, and this is considered the reducing agent. If a species gains electrons, it is said to be reduced, and this is considered the oxidizing agent. An easy way to remember this is from the acronym OIL RIG. It stands for: Oxidation is loss; reduction is gain. Here's a visual for it:

http://www.ict4us.com/r.kuijt/images/en_oxidation_reduction.jpg

The first type of redox reaction we learned of was redox single-replacement reactions. In this reaction, the metals have changed places, the reaction is based on reactivity, and the driving force is the transfer of electrons. For this type of reaction, it it good t remember that "like attacks like". In this way, metal attacks a metal, while a nonmetal attacks a nonmetal.

The second type we learned of was synthesis. These reactions happens when two or more reactants come together and form one product. So A+B creates AB. Decomposition is the exact opposite of this, so there is one reactant breaking down to two or more products. This would then be AB creates A+B. 

Here are some examples of synthesis reactions:

http://www.biochemhelp.com/images/synthesis-reactions.jpg

The final type we talked about was combustion reactions. In this type of reaction, when a hydrocarbon reacts with water, the products are always water and carbon dioxide. Here is an example:

Here are some video's to further explain these concepts:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RX6rh-eeflM
https://www.khanacademy.org/science/chemistry/oxidation-reduction/redox-oxidation-reduction/v/oxidizing-and-reducing-agents-1