The Oxidation Numbers of Li₂CO₃ are as follows:
Li = +1
C = +4
O = -2
Oxidation Number, also called Oxidation State, is the total number of electrons that an atom either gains or loses in order to form a chemical bond with another atom.
Rules for assigning oxidation numbers:
The oxidation number of a free element is always 0.
The oxidation number of a monatomic ion equals the charge of the ion.
Fluorine in compounds is always assigned an oxidation number of -1.
The alkali metals (group I) always have an oxidation number of +1.
The alkaline earth metals (group II) are always assigned an oxidation number of +2.
Oxygen almost always has an oxidation number of -2, except in H₂O₂ (when it is -1) and in OF₂ (when it is +2).
Hydrogen has an oxidation number of +1 when combined with non-metals, but it has an oxidation number of -1 when combined with metals.
The algebraic sum of the oxidation numbers of elements in a compound is zero.
The algebraic sum of the oxidation states in an ion is equal to the charge on the ion.
Assigning oxidation numbers to organic compounds:
The oxidation state of any chemically bonded carbon may be assigned by adding -1 for each more electropositive atom and +1 for each more electronegative atom, and 0 for each carbon atom bonded directly to the carbon of interest.
Use this Oxidation Number calculator to calculate oxidation numbers of elements in the chemical compound at Periodni.com.