How are valence electrons related to oxidation state?

Answer 1

The assumed, hypothetical transfer of a certain number of valence electrons can give rise to the oxidation states possible.

Valence electrons are the electrons on the outer shell of the atom that can be used for bonding.

Oxidation state is the hypothetical charge an atom would have if all of the valence electrons were transferred from the atom of interest to another atom.

For example sulfur has six valence electrons. It can gain two more electrons to achieve a stable electronic structure. This gives sulfur a common oxidation state of -2.

Or, sulfur, in the context of polyatomic compounds, can have oxidation states of +4 and +6 (e.g. in #"SO"_2# or #"SO"_4^(2-)#, respectively).

Valence electron are the electrons that can be shared or transferred. Oxidation states are the hypothetical charges that result from the complete transfer of electrons in context.

By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Answer 2

Cooper Anderson

Valence electrons determine the oxidation state of an element.

By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Answer from HIX Tutor

When evaluating a one-sided limit, you need to be careful when a quantity is approaching zero since its sign is different depending on which way it is approaching zero from. Let us look at some examples.