Organic chemistry question

[euphaire]

Hi all,

I apologize if this seems really basic. I couldn't understand why the reduction of alkene (with H2 gas->produce is alkane) is a 'reduction' at all. What's being reduced here?

Thanks a lot in advance.

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[naearls]

One way I was taught to think about reductions is as reduction of the oxidation number yea, but a more quick and dirty was is oxidation is adding oxygens (or other electronegative element) and reduction is adding hydrogens. So alkyne is more oxidized then alkene then alkane.

I suppose the way you are supposed to think about that is that hydrogen is less electronegative than hydrogen, so you break a bond to carbon and replace it with a bond to hydrogen, which works if you think about oxidation numbers as well.

 

[euphaire]

One way I was taught to think about reductions is as reduction of the oxidation number yea, but a more quick and dirty was is oxidation is adding oxygens (or other electronegative element) and reduction is adding hydrogens. So alkyne is more oxidized then alkene then alkane.

I suppose the way you are supposed to think about that is that hydrogen is less electronegative than hydrogen, so you break a bond to carbon and replace it with a bond to hydrogen, which works if you think about oxidation numbers as well.

That makes sense. Thank you =)