What is the sum of the oxidation numbers in a neutral compound?
Answer Details
The sum of the oxidation numbers in a neutral compound is always equal to zero.
Oxidation numbers are assigned to each element in a compound to indicate the redistribution of electrons during a chemical reaction.
The oxidation number represents the charge an atom would have if electrons were transferred completely.
In a neutral compound, the total positive charges must balance the total negative charges. Since electrons are neither gained nor lost in a neutral compound, the sum of the oxidation numbers must equal zero.