What occurs during the process of oxidation?

In the process of oxidation, a substance undergoes a loss of electrons. This is a fundamental concept in redox (reduction-oxidation) reactions, where oxidation refers not just to the involvement of oxygen, but specifically to the removal of electrons from an atom, ion, or molecule. When oxidation occurs, it results in an increase in the oxidation state of the substance.

This process often accompanies a reduction reaction, where another substance gains the electrons that were lost. In doing so, the oxidized substance may become positively charged if it was neutral initially, or have its positive charge increased if it started as a cation with a lesser positive charge. Understanding oxidation in this context is critical in fields such as electrochemistry and materials science, particularly when assessing corrosion processes or designing protective coatings.