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Personal Cheatsheet on Oxidation Number

The document explains oxidation numbers, which indicate the number of electrons gained or lost by an atom in a compound. It outlines steps to determine oxidation numbers based on the overall charge and individual components of a compound, providing examples for clarity. Additionally, it includes practice problems to reinforce understanding of the concept.

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Sophia Ng
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11 views

Personal Cheatsheet on Oxidation Number

The document explains oxidation numbers, which indicate the number of electrons gained or lost by an atom in a compound. It outlines steps to determine oxidation numbers based on the overall charge and individual components of a compound, providing examples for clarity. Additionally, it includes practice problems to reinforce understanding of the concept.

Uploaded by

Sophia Ng
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Further explanation on Oxidation Numbers

Remember the story about two substances gurgling in a beaker. This scenario would be
different. Today, you have reacted two colourless chemicals and you have no idea what
is happening again, as you are just an amateur chemist working in a lab. However, you
are tasked by your supervisor to find out what exactly is happening. You got the
equation, and, voila! You could see the micro-mechanics of the reaction, thanks to the
help of your understanding of chemistry.

A compound is a matter made up of two or more different atoms. In the process of


making this happen, electrons are either shared, lost or gained. In a compound, the
overall charge would be zero, as the outer shell of these atoms is stable (has 2 or 8
electrons). However, for ions such as MnO4-, it would be -1 as there is an excess of one
electron in one of its atoms. You could look at the upper right side of the ion.

Recapping on oxidation number, it is the number of electrons gained or lost by an atom.


Therefore, if you are tasked to find the oxidation number, look at the overall charge of the
compound/ion first. It tells you how many electrons are in excess or deficit.

These are the steps written briefly.

1. Look at the overall charge of the compound.


2. Look into the components of the compound. These are commonly found:
a. Oxygen: -2
b. Hydrogen: +1

However, there are some compounds you might not know, such as metals. Look
at the charge will do, as it represents the number of electrons lost and its overall
charge.

3. Allocate the underline element’s charge as x.


4. Overall charge = charge of each component + x
This equation makes sense as the overall charge would be the sum of the
individual charge of the atoms, giving the charge of the compound.
5. Voila! You found the charge of the underlined component. =

Examples:

1. Cr2O72-
a. Overall Charge: -2
b. Individual Components: O = -2
c. Overall Charge = Charge of each component + x
-2 = 7(-2) + 2x
2x = 12
X = +6
Try the following:

1. H2SO4
2. CaCr2O7
3. HNO3
4. Which of the following statements between HClO4 and HClO3 is true?
a. The oxidation number of chlorine in HClO4 has been decreased in HClO3
b. The oxidation numbers for all atoms are the same in both molecules
c. The oxidation number for chlorine in HClO4 has increased in HClO3
d. The oxidation number of oxygen in HClO4 has been decreased in HClO3
5. Chlorine is in +1 oxidation number in:
a. HCl
b. HClO4
c. ICl
d. Cl2O
6. When K2Cr2O7 is converted to K2CrO4, the change in the oxidation number of
chromium is
a. 0
b. 2
c. 4
d. 9

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