Methods of Oxidation

Oxidation by abstraction of hydrogen is termed fermen­tation; it results in the splitting of organic substances to form oxidized and reduced products and the liberation of the energy required by the organism.

The best known form of fermentation found in unicel­lular organisms is the breakdown of a glucose molecule into two molecules of ethyl alcohol (the reduced substance) and two molecules of carbon dioxide (the oxidized substance).

In multicellular organisms, the most common form of fermentation is lactic fermentation which involves the decom­position of carbohydrates, as, for instance, when a sugar molecule breaks down into two molecules of lactic acid which have less energy than the initial substance. The breakdown of carbohydrates is a gradual process consisting of a series of reactions. As a result, the oxygen in the molecule of sugar near to the inner carbon atom is trans­ferred to the external carbon atom. Energy is thereby liberated.

There is also another method of oxidation, that of electron loss, but whether it can be used by living organisms has not been adequately studied.

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