Oxidation states Flashcards
What are oxidation states used for?
see what has been oxidised and what has been reduced
aka oxidation numbers
What does the oxidation state tell us? How is this different from ion number?
tells us about the distribution of electrons between elements of different electronegativity, the more electronegative an element, is given the negative oxygen state
What are the rules?
every uncombines element has a oxidation state of 0
positive state shows the element has lost electrons
the more positive the number, the more element has been oxidised
What are the anomilies?
H - +1, except in metal hydrides where it is -1)
Al - 3+
O - -2, except in peroxides where it is -1 (O-O single bond), or in OF2, where it is 2+
F - -1
Cl - -1 except in compounds with F and O where it has positive values
What should the sum of all the oxidation states in a compound be?
0
since all compounds are electrically neutral
or equals charge on the ion
