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Chemistry Forums for Students => High School Chemistry Forum => Topic started by: appleseed on April 14, 2010, 10:14:46 PM

Title: Oxidation and Valence numbers ARE THEY THE SAME?
Post by: appleseed on April 14, 2010, 10:14:46 PM

Thank you!!

Title: Re: Oxidation and Valence numbers ARE THEY THE SAME?
Post by: tamim83 on April 19, 2010, 10:07:54 AM

No, they are not.  The oxidation number is "the "fictitious" charge on an atom that would result if the molecule containing it were completely ionic" or the charge on an atom in an ionic compound.  The valence number is the number of bonds formed by an atom in a compound. 

Hope this helps. 

Title: Re: Oxidation and Valence numbers ARE THEY THE SAME?
Post by: Evaldas on April 20, 2010, 05:59:04 AM

But they do have some connection between, don't they?

Title: Re: Oxidation and Valence numbers ARE THEY THE SAME?
Post by: Schrödinger on April 21, 2010, 08:49:05 AM

Oxidation number/state can be positive or negative, integer or fraction.
For example, Oxidation number of O in CO₂ is -2 and that of C is +4

Valence number is always positive, and since it is the number of bonds formed by the atom, it is always an integer.