Oxidation is the loss of electrons during a reaction by a molecule, atom or ion. Oxidation occurs when the oxidation state of a molecule, atom or ion is increased. The opposite process is called reduction, which occurs when there is a gain of electrons or the oxidation state of an atom, molecule, or ion decreases.Click to see full answer. Subsequently, one may also ask, what does it mean for an element to be oxidized?An element that is oxidized is a reducing agent, because the element loses electrons, and an element that is reduced is an oxidizing agent, because the element gains electrons.Subsequently, question is, what happens if a substance is oxidized? The process in which a substance loses an electron in a chemical reaction is called oxidation. The atoms that lost electrons are said to be oxidized. Atoms can be oxidized by nonmetals. Reduction is gain of electrons and thus gaining of negative charge. Also question is, how do you know if something is oxidized or reduced? Identifying the Elements Oxidized and Reduced Assign oxidation numbers to all atoms in the equation. Compare oxidation numbers from the reactant side to the product side of the equation. The element oxidized is the one whose oxidation number increased. The element reduced is the one whose oxidation number decreased. What does it mean for an element to be reduced?Reduction is a chemical reaction that involves the gaining of electrons by one of the atoms involved in the reaction between two chemicals. The term refers to the element that accepts electrons, as the oxidation state of the element that gains electrons is lowered.