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The oxygen reduction reaction is an essential reaction for aerobic organisms. Such organisms are powered by the heat of combustion of fuel (food) by O 2.Rather than combustion, organisms rely on elaborate sequences of electron-transfer reactions, often coupled to proton transfer.
When oxygen is reduced using an electrocatalyst, an unwanted and harmful by-product, hydrogen peroxide, may be produced. Hydrogen peroxide can damage the internal components of a PEM fuel cell, so oxygen-reduction electrocatalysts are engineered in such a way as to limit the amount of peroxide formed.
Example of a reduction–oxidation reaction between sodium and chlorine, with the OIL RIG mnemonic [1] Redox (/ ˈ r ɛ d ɒ k s / RED-oks, / ˈ r iː d ɒ k s / REE-doks, reduction–oxidation [2] or oxidation–reduction [3]: 150 ) is a type of chemical reaction in which the oxidation states of the reactants change. [4]
At the cathode side oxygen molecules react with the protons permeating through the polymer electrolyte membrane and the electrons arriving through the external circuit to form water molecules. This reduction half-cell reaction or oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is represented by: At the cathode:
Reduction of oxygen into oxygen ions occurs at the cathode. These ions can then diffuse through the solid oxide electrolyte to the anode where they can electrochemically oxidize the fuel. In this reaction, a water byproduct is given off as well as two electrons. These electrons then flow through an external circuit where they can do work.
In electrochemistry, the Nernst equation is a chemical thermodynamical relationship that permits the calculation of the reduction potential of a reaction (half-cell or full cell reaction) from the standard electrode potential, absolute temperature, the number of electrons involved in the redox reaction, and activities (often approximated by concentrations) of the chemical species undergoing ...
Reduction half reaction: O 2 + 4e − → 2 O 2−; Iron (Fe) has been oxidized because the oxidation number increased. Iron is the reducing agent because it gave electrons to the oxygen (O 2). Oxygen (O 2) has been reduced because the oxidation number has decreased and is the oxidizing agent because it took electrons from iron (Fe).
Of the two half reactions, the oxidation step is the most demanding because it requires the coupling of 4 electron and proton transfers and the formation of an oxygen-oxygen bond. This process occurs naturally in plants photosystem II to provide protons and electrons for the photosynthesis process and release oxygen to the atmosphere, [ 1 ] as ...