Identifying Oxidation-Reduction Reactions (REDOX Reactions) in Biological Chemical

Reactions

Janzen Clarisse C. Estimada

STEM 12-A

General Biology I
Mrs. Irene C. Dy

November 26, 2022

 The Oxidation-Reduction Reaction (REDOX Reaction) is a chemical reaction that involves

the transfer of electrons, which involves its gaining and loss in a molecule or compound. It is

significant in biological chemical reactions that happen in our body, as well as the reactions that

take place in the environment, for a balance to be sustained and maintained. In the human body,

REDOX reactions take place between chemicals that we take and those that are already inside

to maintain homeostasis and for our body parts to function. It is a vital component for a human

being to continue living.

Energy is essential for the human body as it enables the organs to function and do their

duties. Without it, humans would not be capable of surviving as the organs start to deteriorate

since it needs specific molecules for them to function properly. For this, the First Law of

Thermodynamics is directly related as it states the Law of Conservation of Energy — this means

that the energy cannot be created nor destroyed, but can be transferred and transformed. The

ability of the cell to acquire energy in the form of Adenosine Triphosphate, otherwise known as

ATP, through breaking down carbohydrates, specifically glucose, is Cellular Respiration. It is one

of the processes that utilize the REDOX reaction, wherein glucose (C6H12O6) and oxygen (O2)

are converted to produce carbon dioxide (CO2), water (H2O), and ATP.

C6H12O6 + 6O2 — CO2 + 6H2O + ATP

In the REDOX reaction, there are four components that should be observed, namely the

reducing agent, oxidizing agent, reduced form, and oxidized form. The reducing agent is the

chemical in which electrons are reduced and oxidized in the reaction and the oxidizing agent is

the one in which electrons are gained, therefore reduced in the reaction. The oxidized form

however is the molecule that lacks an electron and the reduced form is the molecule that gained

the electron. In the above equation, oxygen is the reducing agent as it receives electrons from
the sugar and the sugar is the reducing agent as it is the one that gives electrons to the oxygen.

The oxidized form is carbon dioxide and the oxidized form is water.

Another example would be the Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide or NAD. It is mainly

used in cellular respiration for energy to be acquired which happens in the first, second, and third

stages, which are the Glycolysis, Citric Acid Cycle or Kreb’s Cycle, and the Electron Transport

Chain. It is a REDOX cofactor wherein it functions as a carrier of electron pairs. It has many forms,

including NADH, NAD+, NADP+, NADH, etc. Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide + Hydrogen or

NADH is a cofactor of NAD, alongside the other molecule that is gained from the reaction which

is the Hydrogen, which is the reduced form of NAD+ and 2H.

NAD + + 2H → NADH + H +

In the above equation, NAD+ is the oxidized agent and NADH is the reduced agent as it

gained one electron and one hydrogen. The second hydrogen is oxidized to H+ due to the loss of

electrons. The citric acid cycle is the primary source of NADH in oxidative metabolism. When

NADH donates its electrons to the first component of the electron transport chain, it is reoxidized

to NAD+ (ETC). These electrons eventually reduce molecular oxygen. Additionally, these are also

essential in catabolic processes such as glycolysis to form ATP and oxidative phosphorylation,

which are connected to the energy of living things, known as the ATP or Adenosine Triphosphate

to produce cofactors such as Adenosine Diphosphate (ADP) for active transport and such, and

Adenosine Monophosphate (AMP), which is one of the components of Ribonucleic Acid (RNA),

which are significant to life.

Oxidation and Reduction Reactions are not only essential in our environment, such as the

non-organic matter that happens everywhere for it to create and stabilize things around us. It is

also important especially in living things, such as plants to generate their food in the form of

photosynthesis, and in humans to generate energy to continue to survive and live. This reaction
provided beneficial things that would be so important for chemicals to work properly in an organic

way, which is intriguing as if everything in the world has been governed by it. The importance of

REDOX reaction should not be ignored as it is one of the things that assist in generating life to

produce energy and food, which happens in the microscopical world (such as in cellular vision)

that is too obscure for the naked eye.