Valence, Oxidation Number, and Formal Charge: Three Related but Fundamentally Different Concepts
Gerard Parkin
Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027; parkin@columbia.edu
Terms such as “valence” and “oxidation number” appear frequently in both elementary and advanced chemistry texts. However, it is evident from the literature that these terms are often viewed to be synonymous and that conclusions pertaining to such an interpretation may be misleading. The intent of this article is to clarify the notions of valence, oxidation number, and related concepts such as “formal charge” (Table 1), describe their relationship, and comment upon misleading applications.
To download the article click on the link below:
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/913a/755640ba09fdda2d526bfdcf92e0430ce1eb.pdf
Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027; parkin@columbia.edu
Terms such as “valence” and “oxidation number” appear frequently in both elementary and advanced chemistry texts. However, it is evident from the literature that these terms are often viewed to be synonymous and that conclusions pertaining to such an interpretation may be misleading. The intent of this article is to clarify the notions of valence, oxidation number, and related concepts such as “formal charge” (Table 1), describe their relationship, and comment upon misleading applications.
To download the article click on the link below:
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/913a/755640ba09fdda2d526bfdcf92e0430ce1eb.pdf
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