What is the oxidation state of iron in FeSO4?

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Multiple Choice

What is the oxidation state of iron in FeSO4?

Explanation:
Finding the oxidation state in a salt comes from balancing charges. FeSO4 is neutral overall and consists of iron and the sulfate ion, which carries a -2 charge. To cancel that -2 and make the whole compound neutral, iron must provide a +2 charge. So the oxidation state of iron here is +2. If iron were any other value (like +3, +4, or a negative number), the charges wouldn’t sum to zero, so it wouldn’t match the neutral compound FeSO4.

Finding the oxidation state in a salt comes from balancing charges. FeSO4 is neutral overall and consists of iron and the sulfate ion, which carries a -2 charge. To cancel that -2 and make the whole compound neutral, iron must provide a +2 charge. So the oxidation state of iron here is +2. If iron were any other value (like +3, +4, or a negative number), the charges wouldn’t sum to zero, so it wouldn’t match the neutral compound FeSO4.

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