I looked it up on Google but it was no help.
I know Oxygen has an oxidation number of 2- which makes the total number 8- but it's not divisible by 3 to find out Fe. My text book said that oxidation numbers are integers only but some sources say that it can be in a fraction.
Help? Thanks.
I know Oxygen has an oxidation number of 2- which makes the total number 8- but it's not divisible by 3 to find out Fe. My text book said that oxidation numbers are integers only but some sources say that it can be in a fraction.
Help? Thanks.
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The key is that Fe can exist as Fe 2+ and Fe 3+ and in Fe2O4 both are present, there are in fact two Fe 3+ and one Fe 2+ making a total of eight positive charges to balance the eight negative charges. Crystaline solids like Fe3O4 can contain two different types of positive ions.
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This molecule is a tricky one, as it contains both Fe2+ and Fe3+ ions. Another common way of showing this molecule is with the formula FeO * Fe2O3. This shows that there must be one Fe2+ ion and two Fe3+ ions.