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The oxidation number is also known as the oxidation value. In 1970, the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry defined the concept of oxidation number – an oxidation number is the charge on an atom of a particular element. This charge number is obtained by assuming that the electrons in each bond are assigned to the more electronegative atom. In simple terms, the oxidation number refers to the charge carried by an atom of a certain element in a specific form. Rules for determining oxidation numbers: (1) Ionic compounds. The oxidation number of an atom = the ionic charge of that atom. (2) Covalent compounds. The shared electron pair is assigned to the atom with the higher electronegativity; at this point, the charge on that atom is its oxidation number. (3) The oxidation number of an element in a simple substance = 0. (4) Compounds with unknown structures. Use the following two equations to determine the oxidation state of the unknown element from the known ones. The algebraic sum of the oxidation numbers of all elements in the molecule = 0. In complex ions, the algebraic sum of the oxidation states of all elements = the charge of the ion. It can be seen that the oxidation state is a number assigned artificially according to certain rules, used to represent the formal charge of an element in a compound; it can be an integer (including zero) or a fraction.