[1] Instead the relevant criterion for organic oxidation is gain of oxygen and/or loss of hydrogen.
[2] Simple functional groups can be arranged in order of increasing oxidation state.
Examples of organic reactions that can take place in an electrochemical cell are the Kolbe electrolysis.
In organic chemistry, reduction is equivalent to the addition of hydrogen atoms, usually in pairs.
The reaction of saturated organic compounds with hydrogen gas is called hydrogenolysis.
Reductions can also be effected by adding hydride and proton sources, the so-called heterolytic pathway.