a. The sum of all the oxidation numbers for H 2 O must equal _____. b. The sum of all the oxidation numbers for 42− must equal _____. 2. Show how all the oxidation numbers in KMnO 4 obey the rule for neutral compounds. 3. Why does C have an oxidation number of zero by itself, but +2 in the compound CO? Exercises 4. Conservation of mass definition, the principle that in any closed system subjected to no external forces, the mass is constant irrespective of its changes in form; the principle that matter cannot be created or destroyed. Redox (short for reduction–oxidation reaction) (pronunciation is a chemical reaction in which the oxidation states of atoms are changed. Any such reaction involves both a reduction process and a complementary oxidation process, two key concepts involved with electron transfer processes. Its oxidation number represents the apparent charge on an atom. It is important that all scientists use the same system for writing chemical formulas. This helps to ensure clear and consistent transmission of information. Therefore, the following rules should be used for writing chemical formulas. 1.We look at the arithmetic of the numbers 2,3,5,7. 3 = 3 x 1 3 = 1.5 x2 5 = 5x1 5 = 2.5x2 7 = 7x1 7 = 3.5x2 from here we establish a floor relationship with numbers for example; The number 21 21 ...