What is the primary oxidation state of iron in the mineral hematite?

What is the primary oxidation state of iron in the mineral hematite?

Step 1: Understand what oxidation state means. It refers to the charge of an atom in a compound.
Step 2: Identify the chemical formula of hematite, which is Fe2O3.
Step 3: Note that there are 2 iron (Fe) atoms and 3 oxygen (O) atoms in the formula.
Step 4: Recognize that oxygen typically has an oxidation state of -2.
Step 5: Calculate the total oxidation state contributed by the 3 oxygen atoms: 3 O atoms × -2 = -6.
Step 6: Since the compound is neutral, the total oxidation states must add up to 0.
Step 7: Let the oxidation state of iron be x. Since there are 2 iron atoms, the equation is: 2x + (-6) = 0.
Step 8: Solve for x: 2x = 6, so x = 3.
Step 9: Conclude that the primary oxidation state of iron in hematite is +3.

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