Autoxidation

Autoxidation is a chemical reaction where a chemical, usually an organic compound, is oxidized by the oxygen in the air without needing increased temperature or pressure. This is in contrast to other oxidation reactions which use specific oxidizing agents or happen in special environments designed to control the reaction.

The word is usually used when organic compounds corrode in air, like when iron corrodes into iron oxide (rust).

References

Category:Organic reactions