What are they, do they have somthing to do with the charges of elements or something?

CTR

An oxidation state is the number of bonds an atom has and the charge it would have if the bond was broken and the electrons went to the more electronegative atom. In covalent bonds one bonding electron goes to each species.

Pure elements are 0.
Oxygen is -2 unless it is in a peroxide then it is -1.
Flourine is always -1
Hydrogen is +1
and in a neutral compound say CH4 they all equal 0 so C is -4 and all four H are +1.

Higher numbers mean that an element is more oxidised. This is a really good way to keep track of redox equations. Fe2+ -e --> Fe3+
So the Fe goes from a +2 state to a +3 state. And this also show that when a species Looses Electrons it gets Oxidised, and when it Gains Electrons it is Reduced. So we get the device LEO GER to help a person remember.

Periodic Table with oxidation numbers.

I have the periodic table with the oxydation numbers and stuff in my science book, they looked alot like charges but some had odds numbers like I, -1, +1, +5 and +7. I dont get why iodine would would lose 7 electrons instead of gaining one, when no metals have a higher electronegitivity than iodine?

You two sure are more helpful when ya work together than when you argue...

Thanx,

CTR

It's not like we are constantly at war or anything.

I know it was just a coment,

CTR