The oxidation state tells how many valence electrons an atom accepts (negative number) or donates (positive number) to form a chemical bond.

The most stable oxidation state is one that fills or half-fills an atom’s electron shell. Remember, shells don’t neatly stack on top of each other, so valence (and oxidation state) may not be the same as the total number of electrons in the outer shell. The most common valences are in BOLD. Values in italics are predicted theoretical values.
NUMBER | SYMBOL | ELEMENT | OXIDATION STATE |
1 | H | Hydrogen | 1, 0, -1 |
2 | He | Helium | 0 |
3 | Li | Lithium | 1, -1 |
4 | Be | Beryllium | 2 |
5 | B | Boron | 3, 2, 1 |
6 | C | Carbon | 4, 3, 2, 1, -1, -2, -4 |
7 | N | Nitrogen | 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0, -1, -2, -3 |
8 | O | Oxygen | 2, 1, 0, -1, -2 |
9 | F | Fluorine | 0, -1 |
10 | Ne | Neon | 0 |
11 | Na | Sodium | 1, -1 |
12 | Mg | Magnesium | 2 |
13 | Al | Aluminum | 3, 1 |
14 | Si | Silicon | 4, 3, 2, 1, -1, -2, -4 |
15 | P | Phosphorus | 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0, -1, -2, -3 |
16 | S | Sulfur | 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0, -1, -2 |
17 | Cl | Chlorine | 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0, -1, -2 |
18 | Ar | Argon | 0 |
19 | K | Potassium | 1, -1 |
20 | Ca | Calcium | 2 |
21 | Sc | Scandium | 3, 2, 1 |
22 | Ti | Titanium | 4, 3, 2, 0, -1, -2 |
23 | V | Vanadium | 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0, -1, -2 |
24 | Cr | Chromium | 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0, -1, -2, -3, -4 |
25 | Mn | Manganese | 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0, -1, -2, -3 |
26 | Fe | Iron | 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0, -1, -2 |
27 | Co | Cobalt | 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0, -1 |
28 | Ni | Nickel | 6, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0, -1 |
29 | Cu | Copper | 4, 3, 2, 1, 0 |
30 | Zn | Zinc | 2, 1, 0 |
31 | Ga | Gallium | 3, 2, 1 |
32 | Ge | Germanium | 4, 3, 2, 1 |
33 | As | Arsenic | 5, 3, 2, -3 |
34 | Se | Selenium | 6, 4, 2, 1, -2 |
35 | Br | Bromine | 7, 5, 4, 3, 1, 0, -1 |
36 | Kr | Krypton | 2, 0 |
37 | Rb | Rubidium | 1, -1 |
38 | Sr | Strontium | 2 |
39 | Y | Yttrium | 3, 2 |
40 | Zr | Zirconium | 4, 3, 2, 1, 0, -2 |
41 | Nb | Niobium | 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0, -1, -3 |
42 | Mo | Molybdenum | 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0, -1, -2 |
43 | Tc | Technetium | 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0, -1, -3 |
44 | Ru | Ruthenium | 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0, -2 |
45 | Rh | Rhodium | 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0, -1 |
46 | Pd | Palladium | 4, 2, 0 |
47 | Ag | Silver | 3, 2, 1, 0 |
48 | Cd | Cadmium | 2, 1 |
49 | In | Indium | 3, 2, 1 |
50 | Sn | Tin | 4, 2, -4 |
51 | Sb | Antimony | 5, 3, -3 |
52 | Te | Tellurium | 6, 5, 4, 2, 1, -2 |
53 | I | Iodine | 7, 5, 3, 1, 0, -1 |
54 | Xe | Xenon | 8, 6, 4, 3, 2, 0 |
55 | Cs | Cesium | 1, -1 |
56 | Ba | Barium | 2 |
57 | La | Lanthanum | 3, 2 |
58 | Ce | Cerium | 4, 3, 2 |
59 | Pr | Praseodymium | 4, 3, 2 |
60 | Nd | Neodymium | 4, 3, 2 |
61 | Pm | Promethium | 3 |
62 | Sm | Samarium | 3, 2 |
63 | Eu | Europium | 3, 2 |
64 | Gd | Gadolinium | 3, 2, 1 |
65 | Tb | Terbium | 4, 3, 1 |
66 | Dy | Dysprosium | 4, 3, 2 |
67 | Ho | Holmium | 3, 2 |
68 | Er | Erbium | 3 |
69 | Tm | Thulium | 3, 2 |
70 | Yb | Ytterbium | 3, 2 |
71 | Lu | Lutetium | 3 |
72 | Hf | Hafnium | 4, 3, 2, 1 |
73 | Ta | Tantalum | 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, -1, -3 |
74 | W | Tungsten | 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0, -1, -2, -4 |
75 | Re | Rhenium | 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0, -1, -3 |
76 | Os | Osmium | 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0, -2 |
77 | Ir | Iridium | 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0, -1 |
78 | Pt | Platinum | 6, 5, 4, 2, 0 |
79 | Au | Gold | 7, 5, 3, 2, 1, 0, -1 |
80 | Hg | Mercury | 2, 1 |
81 | Tl | Thallium | 3, 1 |
82 | Pb | Lead | 4, 2 |
83 | Bi | Bismuth | 5, 3, 1, -3 |
84 | Po | Polonium | 6, 4, 2, -2 |
85 | At | Astatine | 7, 5, 3, 1, -1 |
86 | Rn | Radon | 2, 0 |
87 | Fr | Francium | 1 |
88 | Ra | Radium | 2 |
89 | Ac | Actinium | 3 |
90 | Th | Thorium | 4, 3, 2 |
91 | Pa | Protactinium | 5, 4, 3 |
92 | U | Uranium | 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 |
93 | Np | Neptunium | 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 |
94 | Pu | Plutonium | 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 |
95 | Am | Americium | 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 |
96 | Cm | Curium | 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 |
97 | Bk | Berkelium | 4, 3, 2 |
98 | Cf | Californium | 5, 4, 3, 2 |
99 | Es | Einsteinium | 4, 3, 2 |
100 | Fm | Fermium | 4, 3, 2 |
101 | Md | Mendelevium | 3, 2, 1 |
102 | No | Nobelium | 3, 2 |
103 | Lr | Lawrencium | 3, 2 |
104 | Rf | Rutherfordium | 4, 3 |
105 | Db | Dubnium | 5, 4 |
106 | Sg | Seaborgium | 6, 5, 4 |
107 | Bh | Bohrium | 7, 6, 5, 4, 3 |
108 | Hs | Hassium | 8, 7, 4, 3, 2 |
109 | Mt | Meitnerium | 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 |
110 | Ds | Darmstadtium | 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 |
111 | Rg | Roentgenium | 3, -1 |
112 | Cn | Copernicium | 2, 1 |
113 | Nh | Nihonium | 1 |
114 | Fl | Flerovium | 2 |
115 | Mc | Moscovium | 3, 1 |
116 | Lv | Livermorium | 4, 2 |
117 | Ts | Tennessine | unknown |
118 | Og | Oganesson | 8, 6, 4, 2 |
Periodic Table With Element Valences
This information is available on a Color Periodic Table of the Elements or a Black and White version. A simpler version listing only the most common oxidation state charges is also available.
References
- Brown, I. David (2016). Inorganic Chemistry: The Bond Valence Model (2nd ed.). International Union of Crystallography. Oxford: Oxford Science Publications.
- Lange, Norbert A. (1952). Lange’s Handbook of Chemistry (8th ed.). Handbook Publishers.
- O’Dwyer, M.F.; Kent, J.E.; Brown, R. D. (1978). Valency. New York: Springer-Verlag.
- Smart, Lesley E.; Moore, Elaine A. (2016). Solid State Chemistry – An Introduction (4th ed.). Boca Raton: CRC Press.