OXIDATION NUMBER

Oxidation number :The charge the atom would have in a molecule (or an ionic compound) if electrons
were completely transferred.
1.Free elements (uncombined state) have an oxidation number of zero. (ex: H2,N2)
2.In monatomic ions, the oxidation number is equal to the charge on the ion. Li +, Li = +1; Fe 3+, Fe = +3;
O 2-, O = -2
3.The oxidation number of oxygen is usually –2. In H 2 O 2 and O 2 2- it is –1.
OXIDATION STATE
Oxidation state – Formal charge on an atom in a compound or an ion is called oxidation state
The number of charges an atom would have in a molecule or ion if electrons were transferred completely
The difference between the oxidation number and oxidation state is that the oxidation state defines the degree of oxidation of an atom in a
molecule, whereas the oxidation number is defined as the charge that the central metal atom will retain even after all the ligands have been
removed from the atom.
The sum of the oxidation states of all the atoms in an ion is equal to the charge on the ion