How to find oxidation state of an element

Hydrogen is part of the alkali metals, but it can act like a halogen. This is because it is essentially just a proton. It can be "happy" either losing its sole electron and having empty electron shells, or it can be just as "happy" gaining an electron and having a full 1s shell. By "happy" I mostly mean stable. Transition elements are "weird" and you typically will not discuss them in much details until further studies. Nevertheless, you did ask so let me try to explain: The elements in the first 3 rows (until 18Ar) have s and p orbitals, where higher shell number has higher energy and p has higher energy than s (for example, 2s > 1s, and 2p > 2s). When transition metals begin, they have an additional d-orbital but unlike in the first few rows, where it is clear where the electrons shells are in relation to others, the energy is quite close to that of nearby orbitals. Therefore it is not always clear, which of the electrons are removed to have a completely filled outer shell. For this reason, you will find that transition metal do not have one predefined oxidation state. Depending on the conditions, you have iron +2 or iron +3 (also noted as iron II or iron III). The same basic principles in the first few rows in the periodic table don't apply as easily as in the transition metals. There are 18 groups (not counting the f-block). In an older system, the groups were labeled with a number and a suffix of either A or B. But there were inconsistencies in how these groups were l...

[ "article:topic", "paramagnetic", "diamagnetic", "electronic configuration", "oxidation numbers", "transition metal", "electron configuration", "oxidation state", "ions", "showtoc:no", "atomic orbitals", "physical properties", "oxidation states", "noble gas configuration", "configuration", "energy diagrams", "Transition Metal Ions", "Transition Metal Ion", "delocalized", "license:ccbyncsa", "licenseversion:40" ] https://chem.libretexts.org/@app/auth/3/login?returnto=https%3A%2F%2Fchem.libretexts.org%2FBookshelves%2FInorganic_Chemistry%2FSupplemental_Modules_and_Websites_(Inorganic_Chemistry)%2FDescriptive_Chemistry%2FElements_Organized_by_Block%2F3_d-Block_Elements%2F1b_Properties_of_Transition_Metals%2FOxidation_States_of_Transition_Metals Expand/collapse global hierarchy • Home • Bookshelves • Inorganic Chemistry • Supplemental Modules and Websites (Inorganic Chemistry) • Descriptive Chemistry • Elements Organized by Block • d-Block Elements • Properties of Transition Metals • Oxidation States of Transition Metals Expand/collapse global location \( \newcommand\) • • • • • • • • • • The oxidation state of an element is related to the number of electrons that an atom loses, gains, or appears to use when joining with another atom in compounds. It also determines the ability of an atom to oxidize (to lose electrons) or to reduce (to gain electrons) other atoms or species. Almost all of the Introduction Filling atomic orbitals requires a set number of electrons. The s-block ...

Oxidation-Reduction Reactions The term oxidation was originally used to describe reactions in which an element combines with oxygen. Example: The reaction between magnesium metal and oxygen to form magnesium oxide involves the oxidation of magnesium. The term reduction comes from the Latin stem meaning "to lead back." Anything that that leads back to magnesium metal therefore involves reduction. The reaction between magnesium oxide and carbon at 2000C to form magnesium metal and carbon monoxide is an example of the reduction of magnesium oxide to magnesium metal. After electrons were discovered, chemists became convinced that oxidation-reduction reactions involved the transfer of electrons from one atom to another. From this perspective, the reaction between magnesium and oxygen is written as follows. 2 Mg + O 2 2 [Mg 2+][O 2-] In the course of this reaction, each magnesium atom loses two electrons to form an Mg 2+ ion. Mg Mg 2+ + 2 e - And, each O 2 molecule gains four electrons to form a pair of O 2- ions. O 2 + 4 e - 2 O 2- Practice Problem 1: Determine which element is oxidized and which is reduced when lithium reacts with nitrogen to form lithium nitride. 6 Li( s) + N 2( g) 2 Li 3N( s) Click here to check your answer to Practice Problem 1 The Role of Oxidation Numbers in Oxidation-Reduction Reactions Chemists eventually extended the idea of oxidation and reduction to reactions that do not formally involve the transfer of electrons. Consider the following reaction. CO(...

A more positive oxidation state means the element has lost more electrons. If we interpret oxidation as the loss of electrons, the oxidation state indirectly tells us how deprived an element is, of electrons of course! The more positive the oxidation state, the more electrons the element has lost. 2. Starting from scratch: free elements have an oxidation state of zero Free elements are pure elements. They have an oxidation state of zero. Hold up! What are chiong to collect them as freebies, free elements are simply pure elements: just one type of atoms. They can be metals, like sodium and iron. They can also be non-metals that exist as simple molecules or giant molecules. We shall define the oxidation state of free elements as zero. They are seen as the default state, before atoms have gained or lost any electron. 3. Same old, same old: some elements form typical, fixed oxidation state When elements react to form compounds, their oxidation state changes. Element Oxidation State in Compounds Hydrogen +1 (except in Group I metals +1 Group II metals +2 Oxygen -2 (except in Fluorine -1 Some elements mainly form one type of oxidation state in compounds. We say that they have fixed oxidation state. For example, hydrogen has a fixed oxidation state of +1 in all covalent compounds. Likewise, fluorine is pretty boring. In all fluorine-containing compounds, fluorine has a fixed oxidation state of -1. 4. You change your state, like a girl changes clothes: variable oxidation state On ...

The chemical process of oxidation-reduction, better known as redox reaction is a common phenomenon around the world. It is also an essential contributor to the metabolic process, whereby nutrient oxidation leads to energy release and enables life forms to thrive. Exposure of various elements, as well as compounds, causes combustion and release of water, carbon dioxide, and energy. Thus, to gain a better understanding of reactions like redox and combustion, one must be aware of oxidation state or OS, a chemical characteristic exhibited by various elements. The term redox is created by combining two words RED for reduction and OX from oxidation. Where two major processes of reduction and oxidation took place simultaneously and satisfy the molecular requirement of each other. The displacement reactions are classic examples of redox reactions where one species is oxidized and loses electrons while the other is being reduced by gaining that same electron. What does Oxidation State Mean? The oxidation number or the oxidation state is theoretically a charge of an atom if all of its bonds to several different atoms were fully ionic. They define the level of oxidation of an atom in a chemical compound. On the conceptual level, the oxidation state can be either represented by using integrals like positive, negative, or zero. In other words, OS refers to a specific number assigned to elements in different chemical combinations. These numbers are a representation of electron quantity ...