What is the oxidation state of Fe in #"FeCl"_2#?

1 Answer
Nam D.
Mar 5, 2018

#+2#

Explanation:

In #FeCl_2#, ionic bonding is occurs as a result of a metal cation #(Fe^(x+))# and a chlorine anion #(Cl^-)#. Note that I wrote #x# in the iron ion because we do not know yet its oxidation number.

Chlorine has an oxidation state of #-1#. That means, #Cl_2# has a total oxidation number of #-1xx2=-2#.

Let #x# be the oxidation number of #Fe#. The molecule is neutral, and so we setup the equation:

#x+(-2)=0#

#x-2=0#

#x=2#

So, the oxidation state of the iron atom is #+2#, and it is called ferrous.

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