Oxidatiestatussen

Oxidatiestatussen, also known as oxidation states or oxidation numbers, are a bookkeeping tool used in chemistry to track the hypothetical charge an atom would have if all its bonds to different atoms were purely ionic. This concept is particularly useful in understanding redox reactions, where electrons are transferred between species. The oxidation status of an atom in a molecule or ion is determined by a set of rules.

Generally, the oxidation status of an element in its elemental form is zero. For ions, the oxidation status is equal to the charge of the ion. In compounds, there are further rules. For example, oxygen typically has an oxidation status of -2, except in peroxides where it is -1. Hydrogen usually has an oxidation status of +1 when bonded to nonmetals and -1 when bonded to metals. Fluorine is always -1. The sum of the oxidation statuses of all atoms in a neutral compound is zero, and in a polyatomic ion, it equals the charge of the ion.

Assigning oxidation statuses helps in identifying which atoms are oxidized (lose electrons, their oxidation status increases) and which are reduced (gain electrons, their oxidation status decreases) during a chemical reaction. This allows chemists to predict reaction products and balance complex redox equations. While a theoretical construct, the oxidation status is a powerful concept for organizing and predicting chemical behavior.