Oksiditavoista

Oksiditavoista, also known as oxidation states or oxidation numbers, is a concept used in chemistry to track the hypothetical charge of an atom within a molecule or compound. This charge is determined by assuming that all bonds are purely ionic, meaning electrons are completely transferred rather than shared. The oxidation state represents the degree of oxidation of an atom, indicating how many electrons it has gained or lost relative to its elemental form.

In elemental substances, the oxidation state of an atom is always zero. For example, in pure oxygen (O2), the oxidation state of each oxygen atom is 0. In ionic compounds, the oxidation states of the individual ions are equal to their usual charges. For instance, in sodium chloride (NaCl), sodium has an oxidation state of +1 and chlorine has an oxidation state of -1.

In covalent compounds, assigning oxidation states involves a set of rules. Generally, fluorine is always assigned -1. Oxygen typically has an oxidation state of -2, except in peroxides where it is -1. Hydrogen usually has an oxidation state of +1 when bonded to nonmetals and -1 when bonded to metals. The sum of the oxidation states of all atoms in a neutral compound is always zero, and in a polyatomic ion, the sum equals the charge of the ion. This concept is crucial for balancing redox reactions, where oxidation and reduction occur simultaneously.