oxidation number

Also known as oxidation state

number that describes degree of oxidation of an atom in a chemical compound; the hypothetical charge that an atom would have if all bonds to atoms of different elements were fully ionic

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An oxidation number is a number assigned to an atom in a chemical compound that represents how many electrons it has lost or gained, based on the assumption that all its bonds are completely ionic. This system helps chemists track the movement of electrons during chemical reactions and predict how different substances will interact with each other.

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Commons category: Oxidation states

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In chemistry, the oxidation state, or oxidation number, is the hypothetical charge of an atom if all of its bonds to other atoms are fully ionic. It describes the degree of oxidation (loss of electrons) of an atom in a chemical compound. Conceptually, the oxidation state may be positive, negative or zero. Beside nearly-pure ionic bonding, many covalent bonds exhibit a strong ionicity, making oxidation state a useful predictor of charge.

The oxidation state of an atom does not represent the "real" charge on that atom, or any other actual atomic property. This is particularly true of high oxidation states, where the ionization energy required to produce a multiply positive ion is far greater than the energies available in chemical reactions. Additionally, the oxidation states of atoms in a given compound may vary depending on the choice of electronegativity scale used in their calculation. Thus, the oxidation state of an atom in a compound is purely a formalism. It is nevertheless important in understanding the nomenclature conventions of inorganic compounds. Also, several observations regarding chemical reactions may be explained at a basic level in terms of oxidation states.