What does deoxidation mean?
Deoxidation is the removal of oxygen or a reduction in the oxygen content of a material. The term is most common in metallurgy, where oxygen dissolved in molten metal can combine with other elements to form oxide inclusions. These inclusions may weaken a casting, reduce ductility, or create defects, so deoxidation is often performed before the metal is shaped. Deoxidizers are substances that react with dissolved oxygen and carry it out of the melt as slag or another removable product. Although deoxidation is related to chemical reduction, its use often refers specifically to removing oxygen from molten metal. The word should not be confused with oxidation, the process that adds oxygen or increases oxidation state, or with dehydration, which removes water rather than oxygen. Deoxidation is consequently an important term in metallurgy, steelmaking, and the study of materials.
nounThe process of removing oxygen or reducing the oxygen content of a substance, especially molten metal. In metallurgy, it helps prevent dissolved oxygen from forming oxide inclusions in the finished material.
- The chemical process of removing oxygen or reducing the oxygen content of a substance, especially in the treatment of molten metals.
"Deoxidation of the molten steel helped prevent oxide inclusions from weakening the castings."
"The deoxidation of molten copper improves the quality of the resulting castings."
"Deoxidation of the metal is carried out before the alloy is poured into its final mold."
The plural is grammatically regular but uncommon because the word is usually used in the singular.
"The study compared deoxidations of different molten alloys."
Metallurgists use deoxidation to keep dissolved oxygen from forming oxide inclusions that weaken cast metal.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does deoxidation come from?
Deoxidation is an English formation made by combining the prefix de-, meaning removal or reversal, with oxidation. Oxidation entered English through French oxydation, based on oxyde, which ultimately derives from Greek oxys, meaning “sharp” or “acidic.” The modern sense developed alongside the expansion of chemical terminology and metallurgical practice in the nineteenth century.
Related word forms
How deoxidation is actually used
Deoxidation is primarily formal and technical, especially in chemistry, metallurgy, and materials science. It is less common in general speech than the related terms oxidation and deoxygenation.
Easily confused with deoxidation
Deoxidation removes oxygen or reduces a material's oxygen content, whereas oxidation is the process of adding oxygen or increasing a substance's oxidation state.