Review of Elements, Compounds, and Mixtures

<body> <p align="center"><a name="top"><font size="5"><b>Oxidation Numbers</b></font></a></p> <hr> <p>It is often useful to follow chemical reactions by looking at changes in the oxidation numbers of the atoms in each compound during the reaction. Oxidation numbers also play an important role in the systematic nomenclature of chemical compounds. By definition, the <b>oxidation number</b> of an atom is the charge that atom would have if the compound was composed of ions. </p> <p>1. The oxidation number of an atom is zero in a neutral substance that contains atoms of only one element. Thus, the atoms in O<sub>2</sub>, O<sub>3</sub>, P<sub>4</sub>, S<sub>8</sub>, and aluminum metal all have an oxidation number of 0.</p> <p>2. The oxidation number of simple ions is equal to the charge on the ion. The oxidation number of sodium in the Na<sup>+</sup> ion is +1, for example, and the oxidation number of chlorine in the Cl<sup>-</sup> ion is -1. </p> <p>3. The oxidation number of hydrogen is +1 when it is combined with a <i>nonmetal</i> as in CH<sub>4</sub>, NH<sub>3</sub>, H<sub>2</sub>O, and HCl.</p> <p>4. The oxidation number of hydrogen is -1 when it is combined with a <i>metal</i> as in. LiH, NaH, CaH<sub>2</sub>, and LiAlH<sub>4</sub>.</p> <p>5. The metals in Group IA form compounds (such as Li<sub>3</sub>N and Na<sub>2</sub>S) in which the metal atom has an oxidation number of +1. </p> <p>6. The elements in Group IIA form compounds (such as Mg<sub>3</sub>N<sub>2</sub> and CaCO<sub>3</sub>) in which the metal atom has a +2 oxidation number.</p> <p>7. Oxygen usually has an oxidation number of -2. Exceptions include molecules and polyatomic ions that contain O-O bonds, such as O<sub>2</sub>, O<sub>3</sub>, H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>, and the O<sub>2</sub><sup>2-</sup> ion.</p> <p>8. The elements in Group VIIA often form compounds (such as AlF<sub>3</sub>, HCl, and ZnBr<sub>2</sub>) in which the nonmetal has a -1 oxidation number.</p> <p>9. The sum of the oxidation numbers in a neutral compound is zero.</p> <p align="center">H<sub>2</sub>O: 2(+1) + (-2) = 0</p> <p>10. The sum of the oxidation numbers in a polyatomic ion is equal to the charge on the ion. The oxidation number of the sulfur atom in the SO<sub>4</sub><sup>2-</sup> ion must be +6, for example, because the sum of the oxidation numbers of the atoms in this ion must equal -2. </p> <p align="center">SO<sub>4</sub><sup>2-</sup>: (+6) + 4(-2) = -2</p> <p><a name="prob6"></a>11. Elements toward the bottom left corner of the periodic table are more likely to have positive oxidation numbers than those toward the upper right corner of the table. Sulfur has a positive oxidation number in SO<sub>2</sub>, for example, because it is below oxygen in the periodic table. </p> <p align="center">SO<sub>2</sub>: (+4) + 2(-2) = 0 </p> <div align="center"><center><table border="5" cellpadding="10" width="100%" bordercolor="#B87333"> <tr> <td><em><strong>Practice Problem 6:</strong></em>   <p>Name the following ionic compounds. </p> <p>(a) Fe(NO<sub>3</sub>)<sub>3</sub> </p> <p>(b) SrCO<sub>3</sub> </p> <p>(c) Na<sub>2</sub>SO<sub>3</sub> </p> <p>(d) Ca(ClO)<sub>2</sub> </p> <p><a href="http://chemed.chem.purdue.edu/~genchem/topicreview/bp/ch2/problems/ex2_11.html" name="prob7"><em><strong>Click here to check your answer to Practice Problem 6</strong></em></a></p> </td> </tr> </table> </center></div><p align="center"> </p> <div align="center"><center><table border="5" cellpadding="10" width="100%" bordercolor="#B87333"> <tr> <td><em><strong>Practice Problem 7:</strong></em> <p>Assign the oxidation numbers of the atoms in the following compounds. </p> <p>(a) Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> </p> <p>(b) XeF<sub>4</sub> </p> <p>(c) K<sub>2</sub>Cr<sub>2</sub>O<sub>7</sub> </p> <p><a href="http://chemed.chem.purdue.edu/~genchem/topicreview/bp/ch2/problems/ex2_9.html" name="prob8"><em><strong>Click here to check your answer to Practice Problem 7</strong></em></a></p> </td> </tr> </table> </center></div><p align="center"> </p> <div align="center"><center><table border="5" cellpadding="10" width="100%" bordercolor="#B87333"> <tr> <td><em><strong>Practice Problem 8:</strong></em><p>Arrange the following compounds in order of increasing oxidation state for the carbon atom. </p> <p align="left">(a) CO </p> <p align="left">(b) CO<sub>2</sub></p> <p align="left">(c) H<sub>2</sub>CO </p> <p align="left">(d) CH<sub>3</sub>OH </p> <p align="left">(e) CH<sub>4</sub> </p> <p><a href="http://chemed.chem.purdue.edu/~genchem/topicreview/bp/ch2/problems/ex2_10.html"><em><strong>Click here to check your answer to Practice Problem 8</strong></em></a></p> </td> </tr> </table> </center></div><p align="center"><a href="#top"><img src="graphics/top.gif" alt="Return to Top of Page" border="0" width="226" height="36" sgi_fullpath="/disk2/chemistry/genchem/public_html/topicreview/bp/ch2/graphics/top.gif"></a></p> <hr> <p><img src="http://chemed.chem.purdue.edu/Count.cgi?df=topicrevoxnumb.dat"></p> </body>