{"id":2520,"date":"2021-07-15T18:29:18","date_gmt":"2021-07-16T01:29:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/mcat\/?p=2520"},"modified":"2021-07-15T18:29:18","modified_gmt":"2021-07-16T01:29:18","slug":"mcat-oxidation-mcat-reduction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/mcat\/mcat-oxidation-mcat-reduction\/","title":{"rendered":"MCAT Redox Reactions: Oxidation vs. Reduction"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/mcat\/files\/2021\/07\/MCAT-Redox-Reactions.jpg\" alt=\"Hand watering plant in the sunlight\" width=\"1200\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2529\" srcset=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/mcat\/files\/2021\/07\/MCAT-Redox-Reactions.jpg 2400w, https:\/\/magoosh.com\/mcat\/files\/2021\/07\/MCAT-Redox-Reactions-300x150.jpg 300w, https:\/\/magoosh.com\/mcat\/files\/2021\/07\/MCAT-Redox-Reactions-1024x512.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/magoosh.com\/mcat\/files\/2021\/07\/MCAT-Redox-Reactions-768x384.jpg 768w, https:\/\/magoosh.com\/mcat\/files\/2021\/07\/MCAT-Redox-Reactions-1536x768.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/magoosh.com\/mcat\/files\/2021\/07\/MCAT-Redox-Reactions-2048x1024.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Want to learn more about <strong>redox reactions<\/strong> and the type of biological oxidation and reduction MCAT content you&#8217;ll encounter on testing day? Look no further! <\/p>\n<p>Below, we&#8217;ll cover the core concepts you&#8217;ll want to study in order to ace this material on the Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems section of the MCAT. Also feel free to read more about the other <a href=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/mcat\/mcat-physics-chemistry-topics\/\">physics and chemistry topics tested on the MCAT<\/a>!<\/p>\n<p>For a handy PDF version of this biological oxidation and reduction MCAT material, and many other awesome MCAT resources, click the link below! <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/mcat.magoosh.com\/resources\/?utm_source=mcatblog&#038;utm_medium=blog&#038;utm_campaign=mcatresources&#038;utm_term=image&#038;utm_content=mcat-oxidation-mcat-reduction\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/mcat\/files\/2021\/06\/MCAT-Resources-Button.png\" alt=\"Click here to download more Magoosh MCAT resources\" width=\"540\" height=\"100\" class=\"center size-full wp-image-2408\" srcset=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/mcat\/files\/2021\/06\/MCAT-Resources-Button.png 540w, https:\/\/magoosh.com\/mcat\/files\/2021\/06\/MCAT-Resources-Button-300x56.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 540px) 100vw, 540px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h2>MCAT Reduction\/Oxidation and Potentials<\/h2>\n<p>Okay, first things first, let&#8217;s get clear on redox reactions and what they are. In redox reactions, charge is transferred between reactants and products in the form of electrons.<\/p>\n<p>However, the best way to understand redox reactions is to understand the <strong>significance of electrons and Oxygen<\/strong> in the reaction and oxidation of reagents in reactions. <\/p>\n<h2>MCAT Oxidation Numbers<\/h2>\n<p>Oxidation numbers are assigned based on conventional guidelines:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Free Elements (Br<sub>2<\/sub>, O<sub>2<\/sub>, etc.) are zero.<\/li>\n<li>Monatomic ions are equal to their ionic charge.<\/li>\n<li>Group IA and IIA elements are +1, +2, respectively.<\/li>\n<li>Group VII elements are always -1 except in the presence of a more electronegative element (e.g., OF<sub>2<\/sub>, O is +2 and F is -1).<\/li>\n<li>Hydrogen is +1 in the presence of electronegative elements and -1 in the presence of electropositive elements (H<sub>2<\/sub>O vs CH<sub>4<\/sub>); likewise for Oxygen.<\/li>\n<li>In a molecule, the total molecular oxidation number is the sum of the individual oxidation numbers. In a neutral compound, <strong>sum = 0<\/strong>. In a polyatomic ion, <strong>sum = formal charge<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Redox reaction concepts will most likely come up as <strong>biochemical reactions<\/strong>, such as the reduction or oxidation of Plastoquinone, shown below: <\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/mcat\/files\/2021\/07\/MCAT-oxidation-equation.png\" alt=\"A Magoosh image depicting MCAT oxidation\" width=\"863\" height=\"227\" class=\"center size-full wp-image-2523\" srcset=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/mcat\/files\/2021\/07\/MCAT-oxidation-equation.png 863w, https:\/\/magoosh.com\/mcat\/files\/2021\/07\/MCAT-oxidation-equation-300x79.png 300w, https:\/\/magoosh.com\/mcat\/files\/2021\/07\/MCAT-oxidation-equation-768x202.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 863px) 100vw, 863px\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Note that as the molecule is reduced, protons bind to the oxygen. <\/li>\n<li>Electrons can usually be followed in a biochemical reaction by following protons. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Important Facts<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Oxidation (Anode)<\/strong>: loss of e<sup>&#8211;<\/sup><\/li>\n<li><strong>Reduction (Cathode)<\/strong>: gain e<sup>&#8211;<\/sup><\/li>\n<li><strong>Reducing agent<\/strong>: reduces others; gets oxidized<\/li>\n<li><strong>Oxidizing agent<\/strong>: oxidizes others; gets reduced<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A mnemonic device for remembering this = <strong>O<\/strong>IL <strong>R<\/strong>IG (Oxidation Is Loss, Reduction is Gain).<\/p>\n<h2>Balancing Ionic Equations<\/h2>\n<h3>Steps for Balancing<\/h3>\n<ol>\n<li>Separate core reagents into reduction and oxidation half reactions.<\/li>\n<li>Balance O<sub>2<\/sub> for each \\( \\frac 1 2\\) rxn &#8212; add H<sub>2<\/sub>O and H<sup>+<\/sup> for acidic and H<sub>2<\/sub>O and OH for basic solutions.<\/li>\n<li>Balance the charge for each half by adding e<sup>&#8211;<\/sup><\/li>\n<li>Multiply either or both half reactions to cancel out the e<sup>&#8211;<\/sup>, add the half reactions.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3>Example<\/h3>\n<table id=\"tablepress-58\" class=\"tablepress tablepress-id-58 tablepress-responsive\">\n<tbody>\n<tr class=\"row-1 odd\">\n<td class=\"column-1\">Basic reaction<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-2\">MnO<sub>4<\/sub><sup>&#8211;<\/sup> + I<sup>&#8211;<\/sup> &rarr; I<sub>2<\/sub> + Mn<sup>2+<\/sup><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-2 even\">\n<td class=\"column-1\">Fully balanced<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-2\">2 MnO<sub>4<\/sub><sup>&#8211;<\/sup> + 16 H<sup>+<\/sup> + 10 I<sup>&#8211;<\/sup> &rarr; 2 Mn<sup>2+<\/sup> + 5 I<sub>2<\/sub> + 8 H<sub>2<\/sub>O<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><!-- #tablepress-58 from cache --><\/p>\n<h2>A Final Word About Biological Oxidation and Reduction MCAT Content<\/h2>\n<p>When it comes to studying oxidation and reduction in redox reactions, keep in mind that the MCAT will often blend metabolism, chemical gradients, and redox concepts when testing this topic.<\/p>\n<p>This can be a tricky concept that does involve a fair share of memorization, so make sure to review each of the steps thoroughly. <\/p>\n<p>For more MCAT practice, check out <a href=\"https:\/\/mcat.magoosh.com\/?utm_source=mcatblog&#038;utm_medium=blog&#038;utm_campaign=mcathome&#038;utm_term=inline&#038;utm_content=mcat-oxidation-mcat-reduction\">Magoosh\u2019s MCAT prep<\/a>, which includes 380 lessons, 745+ practice questions, personalized email assistance, and more!<\/p>\n<p>Happy studying and good luck!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Learn these key concepts for biological oxidation and reduction MCAT content, including reduction\/oxidation, oxidation numbers, and more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":218,"featured_media":2530,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[2332],"class_list":["post-2520","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mcat-chemistry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v21.7 (Yoast SEO v21.7) - 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She has a BA from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a Ph.D. in medical sociology from the University of California, San Francisco, where she earned the Distinguished Dissertation Award in the Social and Behavioral Sciences. Kat has been teaching premed and nursing students since 2005 as a Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of San Francisco, Bowdoin, and the University of California, Berkeley, while collaborating on multiple research projects and publications. In addition to the MCAT, Kat has taught courses in Research Methods, Gender, Global and Environmental Health, and others. She is passionate about increasing the number of underrepresented minorities in medicine and helping students get into the medical schools of their dreams. You can join Kat on Instagram and YouTube.","sameAs":["https:\/\/scholar.google.com\/citations?user=yAi12ZYAAAAJ&amp;hl=en&amp;oi=sra","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/magooshmcat\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCeSvixReLLS6squ5Adhe0wQ"],"honorificPrefix":"Dr.","honorificSuffix":"PhD","award":["Distinguished Dissertation Award in the Social and Behavioral Sciences (UCSF)"],"knowsAbout":["MCAT","Medical School","Medicine"],"jobTitle":"Senior Curriculum Manager, MCAT","worksFor":"Magoosh","url":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/mcat\/author\/katthomson\/"}]}},"authors":[{"term_id":2332,"user_id":218,"is_guest":0,"slug":"katthomson","display_name":"Kat Thomson","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3bcb9e462420967ce0b7d455661151fc7ec2fc9c42e06bf1f531c50bedf72a68?s=96&d=mm&r=g","user_url":"","last_name":"Thomson","first_name":"Kat","description":"Kat is the Senior Curriculum Manager at Magoosh with a specialty in the MCAT. She has a BA from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a Ph.D. in medical sociology from the University of California, San Francisco, where she earned the Distinguished Dissertation Award in the Social and Behavioral Sciences. Kat has been teaching premed and nursing students since 2005 as a Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of San Francisco, Bowdoin, and the University of California, Berkeley, while collaborating on multiple research projects and <a href=\"https:\/\/scholar.google.com\/citations?user=yAi12ZYAAAAJ&amp;hl=en&amp;oi=sra\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">publications<\/a>.  In addition to the MCAT, Kat has taught courses in Research Methods, Gender, Global and Environmental Health, and others. She is passionate about increasing the number of underrepresented minorities in medicine and helping students get into the medical schools of their dreams. You can join Kat on  <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/magooshmcat\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Instagram<\/a> and  <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCeSvixReLLS6squ5Adhe0wQ\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">YouTube<\/a>."}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/mcat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2520","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/mcat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/mcat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/mcat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/218"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/mcat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2520"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/mcat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2520\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/mcat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2530"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/mcat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2520"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/mcat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2520"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/mcat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2520"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/mcat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=2520"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}