Why is the oxidation number method useful?
1 Answer
Oxidation number is useful in many ways: 1) writing the molecular formula for neutral compounds 2) species undergone reduction or oxidation 3) calculate calculate free energy
Explanation:
Suppose take example of potassium permangnate
In this example we know the potassium valency +1, whereas each oxygen atom valency is -2, therefore the oxidation number of Mn is +7
Acidic medium it transfer 5 electrons
Neutral medium three electrons are transferred
Basic medium only one electron is transferred
It is strong oxidant in acidic medium, whereas mild in basic medium. Hence depending on the power of oxidation strength we can select the medium. This variation can be explained by oxidation number. The amount of