Reduction reactions historical perspective

In view of the historical perspective and future requirements, it is important to reduce the amount of reductants for the coupling reactions. In the future, molecular hydrogen or electricity should be used in lieu of zinc in stoichiometric amounts for the reductive coupling reactions. In addition, catalytic transformations should be developed that may include oxidation of the resulting reductive coupling products so as to adjust the oxidation state. 

First of all, note that the term "oxidation" is based on a historical premise that is not relevant from a more modem perspective namely, the combining of another element with oxygen to form a simple binary compounds i.e., an "oxide" similarly, the removal of oxygen atoms from an oxide molecule leaving the "reduced" element was the concept intended for the term "reduction". Although this idea works fairly well for many of the more simple interactions of oxygen with both metal and non-metal elements, a better, more comprehensive, definition that includes similar reactions with other elements, such as fluorine and chlorine, evolved that was based on the transfer of electrons from one atom (or ion) to another. 

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