wiz-icon
MyQuestionIcon
MyQuestionIcon
1
You visited us 1 times! Enjoying our articles? Unlock Full Access!
Question

What are the oxidation states of copper?


Open in App
Solution

Oxidation state:

  • The oxidation state is the count of electrons of atoms in a molecule that are shared/lost during the formation of chemical bonds with other elements.
  • It is the hypothetical charge of an atom if all of its bonds are fully ionic.

Oxidation states of Copper:

  • Copper exists in two oxidation states+1and+2.
  • Copper has 9 electrons in its d orbital; 4are paired while 1 remaining unpaired. Thus copper will gain electrons from s orbital in order to attain a stable electronic configuration.
  • The +1 oxidation state of Copper is known as “Cuprous” while the +2 oxidation state is known as “Cupric”.
  • An example of Copper in +1oxidation state is Cuprous chlorideCuCl.
  • An example of Copper in +2 oxidation state is Cupric chloride CuCl2.

flag
Suggest Corrections
thumbs-up
0
Join BYJU'S Learning Program
similar_icon
Related Videos
thumbnail
lock
Oxidation States
CHEMISTRY
Watch in App
Join BYJU'S Learning Program
CrossIcon