![]() Other Oxidation Numbers |
Other oxidation numbers found for the element in any of its compounds, no matter how rare or unusual. Oxidation number or oxidation state is defined by a set of arbitrary rules and indicates the extent to which an atom of an element has lost or gained electrons when the element forms a compound. (Positive oxidation states indicate that an atom has lost electrons, negative that it has gained.) Oxidation states are often useful in predicting formulas of compounds. Data were obtained from N. N. Greenwood and A. Earnshaw, CHEMISTRY OF THE ELEMENTS, New York, Pergamon, 1984, page 33. |