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11 grade chemistry others

What is the oxidation number of Si (silicon)?






Profile image of Aniket Singh
1 Year agoGrade
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1 Answer

Profile image of Askiitians Tutor Team
1 Year ago

The oxidation number of an element in a chemical compound is a measure of the number of electrons it gains or loses when it forms a chemical bond. For silicon (

Si), the most common oxidation number is +4.

Silicon typically forms compounds by sharing its four valence electrons in covalent bonds, resulting in a full outer electron shell and an oxidation number of +4. However, it's worth noting that silicon can exhibit other oxidation states, such as -4, +2, and +1, but these are less common and usually found in more specialized compounds.

So, in most cases, you can expect silicon (

Si) to have an oxidation number of +4.