Tag: rusting

Redox reactions are those in which electrons are transferred from one atom to another, and they are at the heart of many chemical and biological processes. From rusting iron to forest fires to the beating of a human heart, redox reactions are the hero of many chemical and biological processes. R­ust is the common name for a very common compound, iron oxide. Iron oxide, the chemical Fe2O3, is common because iron combines very readily with oxygen -- so readily, in fact, that pure iron is only rarely found in nature. Iron rusting is an example of corrosion -- an electrochemical process involving an anode (a piece of metal that readily gives up electrons), an electrolyte (a liquid that helps electrons move) and a cathode (a piece of metal that readily accepts electrons). When a piece of met...