Question

Magnesium reacts with oxygen gas to produce magnesium oxide, light, and heat. What type of reaction is this?

Answer 1

Combustion (also oxidation-reduction)

Explanation:

Maybe we want to try to imagine the chemical system, which could look like this:

`2Mg(s) + O_2(g) => 2MgO(s)`

Remember that combustion reactions occur when a species reacts with `O_2`, oxygen gas to release heat and produce a flame.

These reactions are also oxidation-reduction reactions, but are by no means the only type of oxidation-reduction reaction which can occur.

Here is a short video which shows what this reaction looks like.