The Electron Trade
📖 The Electron Trade
Redox is like trading money between two people! When one person loses £10 (oxidation), someone else must gain that £10 (reduction). You can't have one without the other! The mnemonic OIL RIG helps: Oxidation Is Loss, Reduction Is Gain. Just remember: LEO the lion goes GER — Lose Electrons = Oxidation, Gain Electrons = Reduction!
Chemistry glossary
- What is a redox reaction?
- A reaction where oxidation and reduction happen simultaneously
Earn the mark scheme marks
🧠 Memory Aids
OIL RIG — the most important mnemonic in chemistry:
Oxidation Is Loss Reduction Is Gain
Write OIL RIG in the margin of your exam paper the moment you start. It earns marks every time.
LEO GER — a second mnemonic:
Lose Electrons = Oxidation Gain Electrons = Reduction
"LEO the lion goes GER" — lose electrons oxidation, gain electrons reduction.
Oxidising/reducing agents — the swap trick: "The oxidising agent is reduced. The reducing agent is oxidised." They do the opposite of what their name suggests happens to the other substance. Think: "The OXIDISING agent gets REDUCED (it gains electrons while making the other thing lose them)."
Electrolysis reminder: OARC — Oxidation At anode, Reduction at Cathode. The vowels: A (anode) = oxidation, C (cathode) = reduction.
Now try it yourself
Quiz · Question 1 of 20
What does OIL stand for in the mnemonic OIL RIG?
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This topic in real past papers
Every real exam question we've found on oxidation & reduction, with a full worked answer.
AQA Paper 1
Identify which substance is oxidised or reduced in a displacement reaction, explain redox in terms of electron transfer, or use unknown metal data (A, B, C, D) to work out relative reactivity.
Edexcel Paper 1
Explain which particles have been oxidised and which have been reduced, in terms of electrons