Can elements have oxidation states in stable, non-ionic molecular compounds (nonmetal bound covalently with another nonmetal)?
Answer Hi Dana, Yes, absolutely! This is the whole idea behind redox chemistry! Energy production and use is all about changes in the oxidation state of the fuel or source molecules. For instance, in the generic photosynthesis reaction: 6CO2 + 6H2O <-> C6H12O6 + 6O2 the carbon dioxide (CO2) is reduced to glucose (C6H12O6) and the water (H2O) is oxidized to oxygen (O2). This means that the oxidation state of the atoms in these molecules changes as the reaction occurs. Carbon starts off with an oxidation state of +4 and ends up with an oxidation state of 0. We determine this by the following rules: Anything in its pure state has an oxidation state of 0. So, in our above example, O2 has an oxidation state of 0. Pure ions have an oxidation state equal to their charge. If you have Fe2+ it has an oxidation state of +2. H in compounds has an oxidation state of +1. THere are two exceptions, it is 0 in its pure state (H2) and it is -1 when it is a hydride (H- or NaH), but normally you can assum
