What occurs during a disproportionation reaction?

During a disproportionation reaction, a single substance undergoes both oxidation and reduction simultaneously. This means that within the same reaction, one element transforms into two different products: one that is oxidized (loses electrons) and one that is reduced (gains electrons).

For example, consider a situation where chlorine in its elemental form Cl2 is reacted, leading to the formation of chloride ions (Cl-) and chlorate ions (ClO3-). In this reaction, some of the chlorine is oxidized to a higher oxidation state in the chlorate ion, while other chlorine atoms are reduced to a lower oxidation state in the chloride ion.

This characteristic of disproportionation distinguishes it from other reactions, where typically one reactant is solely oxidized while another is reduced. Therefore, the core concept of a disproportionation reaction is precisely that one element is both oxidized and reduced in a single process.