Oxidation State

02/08/26

“How can we quantify the number of electrons an element is likely to have after it breaks all bonds?”

Chemical bonds may be broken. With bonds involving shared electrons, some elements may take all shared electrons with them. The number of electrons that an element is likely to take or give in a chemical breakup is known as the Oxidation State. Oxidation states range from +2 (alkaline earth metals) to -2 (oxygen).

• Chemistry