Oxidation States

Oxidation states show how oxidised or reduced an element is within a compound or ion.

If the oxidation state increases the substance is oxidised If the oxidation state decreases the substance is reduced.

Rules for oxidation numbers:

- For atoms in element the oxidation state is always 0

- For atoms in simple ions the oxidation state is the same as the charge

- In compounds the total of all the oxidation states is 0

- In polyatomic ions the total of all the oxidation states is the same as the charge on the ion