Calculation of Formal Oxidation States With A Lewis Structure
There are two common ways of computing the oxidation state of an atom in a compound. The first is the simple algebraic sum technique above, used in compounds that do not require a Lewis structure. The second is used for molecules when one has a Lewis structure.
It should be remembered that the oxidation state of an atom does not represent the "real" charge on that atom: This is particularly true of high oxidation states, where the ionization energy required to produce a multiply positive ion are far greater than the energies available in chemical reactions. The assignment of electrons between atoms in calculating an oxidation state is purely a formalism, but is a useful one for the understanding of many chemical reactions.
For more about issues with calculating atomic charges, see partial charge.
Read more about this topic: Oxidation State
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