Question

Is oxidation state and oxidation number same?

Answer 1

1. Oxidation state: The oxidation state defines the degree of oxidation of an atom in the molecule. Considering an example for understanding the oxidation state, ${\left[\mathrm{Fe}{\left(\mathrm{CN}\right)}_6\right]}^{3-}$is a coordination compound in which iron is in -3 oxidation state.
2. Oxidation number: A number is given to the atom which represents the number of electrons lost or gained by the atom said to be the oxidation number. Any alkali metal like $\mathrm{Li},\mathrm{Na},\mathrm{K}$ can donate one electron only, so the oxidation number is 1.

Hence, the oxidation state and oxidation number are not the same.