Question

What is the oxidation number of beryllium?

Answer 1

Hint: We can find the oxidation number of any element knowing the group in which the element lies. So, if the element has the ability to donate electrons from its valence shell then it will have a positive oxidation state and if the element has the ability to attract electrons then it will have a negative oxidation state.

Complete answer:
The oxidation number is a state of the element that is used to tell the property of the formation of the compound with other elements, and it is also known as the oxidation number.
We have to find the oxidation number of the beryllium element. We can find the oxidation number of any element knowing the group in which the element lies. So, the beryllium atom lies in group 2 and period 2, its atomic number is 4, therefore, the number of electrons in the beryllium atom. The configuration of beryllium will be:
$1{{s}^{2}}2{{s}^{2}}$
To find the oxidation state first we have to find the valence shell in the configuration and then the number of electrons in the valence shell. So, the valence shell in the beryllium atom is 2 and the numbers of electrons in the 2nd shell are 2.
Now, these 2 electrons can be removed from the atom to form a +2 oxidation state. As it is the member of group 2, the most stable oxidation state of these elements is +2.

Note:
With the help of finding the number of groups of the element then we can easily find the oxidation number of the element like if the group is 1 then the oxidation number will be +1, if the group is 17, then the oxidation number will be -1.