What is a "subvalent oxide"? Can you give an example?

1 Answer
anor277
May 12, 2017

Is an oxide whose defining element has mixed oxidation states, i.e. it is not fully oxidized..........and are sometimes non-stoichiometric.

Explanation:

A suboxide of carbon found in flames is carbon suboxide, C_3O_2, where the carbon oxidation states are O=stackrel(+II)C=stackrel(0)C=C=O, where the average carbon oxidation number is +4/3, but the individual oxidation states are clearly stackrel(0)C, and stackrel(+II)C. An even better example of a subvalent oxide is carbon monoxide itself, which features a formal C(+II) carbon oxidation state.

On the other hand, for non-suboxide carbon oxides, CO_2 and CBr_4, each carbon has the same oxidation state, which are?

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