Question

If a substance reacts with oxygen, what is the chemical reaction most likely?

Answer 1

`"A combustion reaction"`, which sits under the umbrella of `"redox reactions........"`

Explanation:

Typically, an element, metal, sulfur, carbon, is OXIDIZED by oxygen gas to give, for instance a metal or element oxide, and of course, the oxygen is reduced in the reaction.

For carbon we could write:

`stackrel(0)"C"(s) +"O"_2(g)` `""rarr stackrel(+IV)" CO"_2(g)`

Now this is both a `"combustion reaction"`, and a `"redox reaction"`. Oxygen gas is reduced from `stackrel(0)O_2` to `"oxide"`, `O^(2-)` anion.