Oxidation numbers Flashcards
What does oxidation numbers tell you?
Oxidation numbers tell you how many electrons atoms have.
When atoms REACT or BOND to other atoms, they can LOSE or GAIN electrons. The OXIDATION NUMBER tell you how…
many electrons an atom has donated or accepted to form an ION or to form part of a compound.
All uncombined elements have an oxidation number of …
0
Elements that are bonded to identical atoms will also have an oxidation number of …
0
The oxidation number of a simple, monoatomic ion (that’s an ion consisting of just one atom) is the same as its …
charge, e.g Na+ and Mg2+
For the MOLECULAR IONS, the sum of the oxidation numbers is …
the same as the overall charge of the ion.
Each of the constituent atoms will have an oxidation number of its own, and the SUM of their oxidation numbers equals their overall charge.
