Uploaded January 2018 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Here we compare how formal charges are assigned and how oxidation states are assigned. Focus is on one bond at a time rather than application of a limited set of rules with increasing exceptions. Formal charge can be considered philosophically as an "everybody gets a trophy" construct where bonds are split evenly regardless of what the 2 elements are at each end. The number of valence electrons are then counted for each element compared to what they typically are as a neutral atom.
For oxidation states, "winners and losers" are assigned by having the more electronegative element involved in the bond as the winner and having all of those electrons in that bond assigned. Again the atoms have all of the assigned electrons compared to how many they typically have and an oxidation state is assigned.
This can be done for oxidation states by applying a set of rules found here on slide 4 docs.google.com/presentation/d/1P8IdWYDO7Nc3_EBb5CYiROcPqqEwPCjfL8hOcV5H6M0/edit?usp=sharing
and more redox, bonding and organic resources can be found here: sites.google.com/site/thechemistrytranslator/chemistry---milam-plymouth/ib-chem-milam-hl
Here we compare how formal charges are assigned and how oxidation states are assigned. Focus is on one bond at a time rather than application of a limited set of rules with increasing exceptions. Formal charge can be considered philosophically as an "everybody gets a trophy" construct where bonds are split evenly regardless of what the 2 elements are at each end. The number of valence electrons are then counted for each element compared to what they typically are as a neutral atom.
For oxidation states, "winners and losers" are assigned by having the more electronegative element involved in the bond as the winner and having all of those electrons in that bond assigned. Again the atoms have all of the assigned electrons compared to how many they typically have and an oxidation state is assigned.
This can be done for oxidation states by applying a set of rules found here on slide 4 docs.google.com/presentation/d/1P8IdWYDO7Nc3_EBb5CYiROcPqqEwPCjfL8hOcV5H6M0/edit?usp=sharing
and more redox, bonding and organic resources can be found here: sites.google.com/site/thechemistrytranslator/chemistry---milam-plymouth/ib-chem-milam-hl
