oxidation
- The chemical process in which a substance combines with oxygen, often resulting in the release of energy and the formation of an oxide. nounThe rusting of iron is a common example of oxidation.During the oxidation of glucose in the body, energy is released.
- A reaction in which there is a loss of electrons by a molecule, atom, or ion, often associated with the gain of oxygen or the loss of hydrogen. nounIn the oxidation of ethanol to acetic acid, electrons are transferred to oxygen.Oxidation is a key part of many metabolic processes in living organisms.