The key difference between redox and nonredox reactions is that in redox reactions, the oxidation state of some chemical elements changes from one state to another state whereas, in nonredox reactions, the oxidation states of chemical elements do not change.
Redox and nonredox reactions are two major types of chemical reactions. These two groups differ from each other depending on the changes that happen to the oxidation states of the chemical elements from which the reactants are made of.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What are Redox Reactions
3. What are Nonredox Reactions
4. Side by Side Comparison – Redox vs Nonredox Reactions in Tabular Form
5. Summary
What are Redox Reactions?
Redox reaction is a type of chemical reaction in which oxidation and reduction half-reactions occur simultaneously. In this reaction, we consider oxidation and reduction as complementary processes. Here, oxidation is the loss of electrons or the increase in the oxidation state while reduction is the gain of electrons or decrease of oxidation state. The term “redox” is a short form from reduction-oxidation processes.
During a redox reaction, the chemical compound/reactant that undergoes the reduction is called the oxidizing agent while the compound that is undergoing oxidation is called the reducing agent. This is because the oxidizing agent causes the other compound to undergo oxidation and vice versa.
In a redox reaction, what actually happens is the transfer of electrons between two reactants through half-reactions. We can easily identify this electron transfer through observing the oxidation states of chemical elements. During the electron transfer, the oxidation state increases if electrons are lost because it leaves unbalanced protons in atoms, and the oxidation state decreases when electrons are gained because electrons are negative charges of subatomic particles. There are different types of redox reactions, such as decomposition reactions, combination reactions, displacement reactions, and disproportionation reactions.
What are Nonredox Reactions?
Nnonredox reactions are chemical reactions where no change in oxidation states of chemical elements occur. Therefore, these chemical reactions do not have half-reactions for oxidation and reduction as in redox reactions. In other words, there are electron transfers occurring during the progression of the chemical reaction.
Figure 02: NaOH and HCl Neutralization Reaction
Common examples of non-redox reactions include neutralization reactions and double displacement reactions.
What is the Difference Between Redox and Nonredox Reactions?
Redox and nonredox reactions are two different types of chemical reactions. The key difference between redox and nonredox reactions is that in redox reactions, the oxidation state of some chemical elements changes from one state to another state whereas, in nonredox reactions, the oxidation states of chemical elements do not change. Moreover, redox reactions have oxidation half-reactions and reduction half-reactions while no particular half-reactions can be observed in nonredox reactions. Decomposition reactions, displacement reactions, disproportionation reactions, etc. are examples of redox reactions while neutralization reactions, double displacement reactions, etc. are examples of nonredox reactions.
The following infographic tabulates the differences between redox and nonredox reactions.
Summary – Redox vs Nonredox Reactions
Redox and nonredox reactions are two different types of chemical reactions. The key difference between redox and nonredox reactions is that in redox reactions, the oxidation state of some chemical elements changes from one state to another state whereas, in nonredox reactions, the oxidation states of chemical elements do not change.
Reference:
1. “Oxidation-Reduction Reactions.” Chemistry LibreTexts, Libretexts, 15 Aug. 2020, Available here.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Redox Halves” By Cameron Garnham – Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Neutralization reaction between sodium hydroxide and hydrochloric acid” By Bluescan sv.wiki – Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia