| the state of an element or ion in a compound with regard to the electrons gained or lost by the element or ion in the reaction that formed the compound, expressed as a positive or negative number indicating the ionic charge of the element or ion. |
| Main Entry: | oxidation state |
| Part of Speech: | n |
| Definition: | See oxidation number |
| oxidation state
See valence. |
oxidation state
the total number of electrons that an atom either gains or loses in order to form a chemical bond with another atom.
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