CH1012
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OXIDATION STATE RULES II
(ii)  The oxidation number of a free element ie. no atoms of a different element, has an oxidation number of zero   (e.g. O2, P4, S8).
(iii)  For polar covalent molecules or ions,
we assign to the more electronegative
atom of a  bond the total  possession of the
electron pairs in the bond.
H  -  F
2.1   4.0
Electronegativity is a number that describes
the relative ability of an atom in a covalent
bond to attract shared electrons.