What are the oxidation numbers of the chlorine and oxygen atoms in the perchlorate ion (ClO4–)?

Oxygen:
[ Select ]
–1
–2
0

Chlorine:
[ Select ]
–1
+5
0
+3
+7

Question

What are the oxidation numbers of the chlorine and oxygen atoms in the perchlorate ion (ClO4–)?

Oxygen: 
[ Select ]
–1
–2
0

Chlorine: 
[ Select ]
–1
+5
0
+3
+7

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Let’s parse the perchlorate ion, ClO4−, and assign oxidation numbers to the atoms involved.
Option set for Oxygen:
-1: This is unlikely because oxygen almost always takes the −2 oxidation state in most oxoanions and compounds. An −1 assignment would require compensating charges elsewhere that don’t fit the known chemistry of oxygen here.
-2: This is the standard oxidation state for oxygen in most oxoanions, including perchlorate. With four oxygens, assigning −2 to each accounts for the majority of the anion’s charge and aligns with common oxidation-number rules.
0: An oxidation state of 0 for oxygen would not balance the charges in an oxide-containing ion like ClO4−, since oxygen typically carries negative oxidation states in such species.
Therefore, the correct oxidation number for each oxygen atom in ClO4− is −2.

Now, let’s determine chlorine’s oxidation state using the overall charge balance.
We have four oxygens at −2 each, contributing a total of −8. The overall charge of the ion is −1, so let x be the oxidation state of chlorine:
x + (4 × −2) = −1 → x − 8 = −1 → x = +7.

Option set for Chlorine:
-1: This does not satisfy the charge balance derived above, since chlorine cannot be −1 in perchlorate where the overall charge and oxygen states require a much higher oxidation state for chlorine.
+5: This value would give a total of x + (−8) = −3, not −1, so it fails to balance the ion’s charge.
0: An oxidation state of 0 for chlorine would yield a total of −8, far from the required −1, so it is incorrect.
+3: At +3, the total would be −5, again not matching the −1 charge of the ion, so this option is incorrect.
+7: This is the correct balance: Cl at +7 plus four O at −2 each sums to (+7) + (−8) = −1, which matches the ion’s overall charge.

In summary, recognizing that oxygen commonly carries −2 in such oxoanions leads to the four oxygens contributing −8 in total, and solving for chlorine’s state with x − 8 = −1 yields x = +7. Consequently, the valid pair is O: −2 and Cl: +7.

CHEM 110 Section 3 (PM) SP25 Pre-Lecture Quiz 38 C15-3-4

What are the oxidation numbers of the chlorine and oxygen atoms in the perchlorate ion (ClO4–)? Oxygen: [ Select ] –1 –2 0 Chlorine: [ Select ] –1 +5 0 +3 +7

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