chemistry

Oxidoreductase

Oxidoreductase is a chemistry topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Oxidoreductase rather than just read about it. In short: In biochemistry, an oxidoreductase is an enzyme that catalyzes the transfer of electrons from one molecule, the reductant, also called the electron donor, to another, the oxidant, also called the electron acceptor. This group of enzymes usually utilizes NADP+ or NAD+ as cofactors.

Key takeaways

Oxidoreductase belongs to chemistry; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Oxidoreductase to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Oxidoreductase from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

In biochemistry, an oxidoreductase is an enzyme that catalyzes the transfer of electrons from one molecule, the reductant, also called the electron donor, to another, the oxidant, also called the electron acceptor. This group of enzymes usually utilizes NADP+ or NAD+ as cofactors. Transmembrane oxidoreductases create electron transport chains in bacteria, chloroplasts and mitochondria, including respiratory complexes I, II, and III. Some others can associate with biological membranes as peripheral membrane proteins or be anchored to the membranes through a single transmembrane helix.

Reactions For example, an enzyme that catalyzed this reaction would be an oxidoreductase:

A– + B → A + B– In this example, A is the reductant (electron donor) and B is the oxidant (electron acceptor). In biochemical reactions, the redox reactions are sometimes more difficult to see, such as this reaction from glycolysis:

Pi + glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate + NAD+ → NADH + H+ + 1,3-bisphosphoglycerate In this reaction, NAD+ is the oxidant (electron acceptor), and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate is the reductant (electron donor).

Nomenclature Proper names of oxidoreductases are formed as "donor:acceptor oxidoreductase"; however, other names are much more common.

The common name is "donor dehydrogenase" when possible, such as glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase for the second reaction above. Common names are also sometimes formed as "acceptor reductase", such as NAD+ reductase. "Donor oxidase" is a special case where O2 is the acceptor.

Classification Oxidoreductases are classified as EC 1 in the EC number classification of enzymes. Oxidoreductases can be further classified into 21 subclasses:

EC 1.1 includes oxidoreductases that act on the CH-OH group of donors (alcohol oxidoreductases such as methanol dehydrogenase) EC 1.2 includes oxidoreductases that act on the aldehyde or oxo group of donors EC 1.3 includes oxidoreductases that act on the CH-CH group of donors (CH-CH oxidoreductases) EC 1.4 includes oxidoreductases that act on the CH-NH2 group of donors (Amino acid oxidoreductases, Monoamine oxidase) EC 1.5 includes oxidoreductases that act on CH-NH group of donors EC 1.6 includes oxidoreductases that act on NADH or NADPH EC 1.7 includes oxidoreductases that act on other nitrogenous compounds as donors EC 1.8 includes oxidoreductases that act on a sulfur group of donors EC 1.9 includes oxidoreductases that act on a heme group of donors EC 1.10 includes oxidoreductases that act on diphenols and related substances as donors EC 1.11 includes oxidoreductases that act on peroxide as an acceptor (peroxidases) EC 1.12 includes oxidoreductases that act on hydrogen as donors EC 1.13 includes oxidoreductases that act on single donors with incorporation of molecular oxygen (oxygenases) EC 1.14 includes oxidoreductases that act on paired donors with incorporation of molecular oxygen EC 1.15 includes oxidoreductases that act on superoxide radicals as acceptors EC 1.16 includes oxidoreductases that oxidize metal ions EC 1.17 includes oxidoreductases that act on CH or CH2 groups EC 1.18 includes oxidoreductases that act on iron-sulfur proteins as donors EC 1.19 includes oxidoreductases that act on reduced flavodoxin as a donor EC 1.20 includes oxidoreductases that act on phosphorus or arsenic in donors EC 1.21 includes oxidoreductases that act on X-H and Y-H to form an X-Y bond

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Oxidoreductase

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Oxidoreductase claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In chemistry, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Oxidoreductase before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Oxidoreductase ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Oxidoreductase

In research: Oxidoreductase appears in chemistry research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Oxidoreductase in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Oxidoreductase is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Bioinorganic chemistry, Oxidoreductases, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Oxidoreductase outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Oxidoreductase in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Oxidoreductase means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Oxidoreductase out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Oxidoreductase in simple terms?

Why does Oxidoreductase matter?

Because it connects several chemistry ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Oxidoreductase?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Oxidoreductase.