6.6.4

Oxidation States & Equations

Test yourself

Oxidation States and Redox

Oxidation states are crucial tools for understanding redox reactions.

Illustrative background for Oxidation statesIllustrative background for Oxidation states ?? "content

Oxidation states

  • An oxidation state shows how many electrons an atom has gained or lost.
  • The concept of oxidation state is related to electronegativity.
    • Electronegativities can be used to work out oxidation states.
  • There are a set of rules to assigning oxidation states - these will be unpacked in the next slide.
Illustrative background for RulesIllustrative background for Rules ?? "content

Rules

  • To assign oxidation states in a compound with multiple elements, we pretend every bond is ionic (even when they're definitely not)!
    • We ask the question 'which element is going to take the electron pair?'
    • The answer is, the most electronegative one!
  • This gives us our first rule:
    • In a compound with fluorine, fluorine's oxidation state is always -1.
Illustrative background for OxygenIllustrative background for Oxygen ?? "content

Oxygen

  • The oxidation state of oxygen is always -2.
    • Unless you have a compound of oxygen and fluorine. The fluorine rule takes priority.
    • Another exception is in a peroxide (e.g. Na2O2).
Illustrative background for HydrogenIllustrative background for Hydrogen ?? "content

Hydrogen

  • Hydrogen always has an oxidation state of +1.
    • Except in metal hydrides e.g. NaH, where it is -1.
Illustrative background for The restIllustrative background for The rest ?? "content

The rest

  • In a compound ion, the overall oxidation state is equal to the charge on the ion.
  • In a simple ion, the oxidation state is just the charge on the ion.
  • In a pure element, the oxidation state is zero. This includes atoms like He, but also molecules like H2.
  • Oxidation states are commonly represented by Roman numerals e.g. Fe(III) sulfate means (Fe3+)2(SO42-)3.

Ionic Half-Equations

You will already be familiar with balanced equations. When the reaction is a redox reaction, we can make some further adjustments.

Illustrative background for Ionic half-equationsIllustrative background for Ionic half-equations ?? "content

Ionic half-equations

  • An ionic half equation shows either reduction or oxidation.
    • An example is: O2 + 4e- \rightarrow 2O2-
    • This is the ionic half equation for the reduction of O2 to 2O2-
  • If you have ionic half equations for both a reduction process and an oxidation process, you can add the two to generate a full balanced equation.
Illustrative background for An example: TiCl<sub>4</sub>Illustrative background for An example: TiCl<sub>4</sub> ?? "content

An example: TiCl4

  • The ionic half equation for the oxidation of Ti \rightarrow Ti4+ is:
    • Ti \rightarrow Ti4+ + 4e-
  • The ionic half equation for the reduction of Cl2 \rightarrow to 2Cl- is:
    • Cl2 + 2e- \rightarrow 2Cl-
  • When adding the two equations together, you must balance the number of electrons on either side so that they cancel out.
    • 2Cl2 + 4e- \rightarrow 4Cl-
    • Ti \rightarrow Ti4+ + 4e-
  • So the full balanced equation is:
    • Ti + 2Cl2 \rightarrow Ti4+ + 4Cl-

Jump to other topics

1Structure - Models of the Particulate of Matter

2Structure - Models of Bonding & Structure

3Structure - Classification of Matter

3.1The Periodic Table: Classification of Elements

3.2Periodic Trends

3.3Group 1 Alkali Metals

3.4Halogens

3.5Noble gases, group 18

3.6Functional Groups: Classification of Organic

3.7Functional Group Chemistry

3.8Alkanes

3.9Alcohols

3.10Halogenoalkanes

4Reactivity - What Drives Chemical Reaction?

5Reactivity - How Much, How Fast & How Far?

6Reactivity - The Mechanisms of Chemical Change

7Measurement, Data Processing & Analysis

Unlock your full potential with Seneca Premium

  • Unlimited access to 10,000+ open-ended exam questions

  • Mini-mock exams based on your study history

  • Unlock 800+ premium courses & e-books

Get started with Seneca Premium