A half reaction is either the oxidation or reduction reaction component of a redox reaction. A half reaction is obtained by considering the change in oxidation states of individual substances involved in the redox reaction.

Consider the reaction below:

Cl₂ + 2Fe²⁺ → 2Cl⁻ + 2Fe³⁺

The two elements involved, iron and chlorine, each change oxidation state; iron from 2+ to 3+, chlorine from 0 to 1−. There are then effectively two half-reactions occurring. These changes can be represented in formulas by inserting appropriate electrons into each half-reaction:

Fe²⁺ → Fe³⁺ + e⁻

Cl₂ + 2e⁻ → 2Cl⁻

In the same way given two half-reactions it is possible, with knowledge of appropriate electrode potentials, to arrive at the full (original) reaction.

See also

• Electrode potential
• Standard electrode potential (data page)