Question

The highest oxidation state exhibited by transition metals is

• A. 7
• B. 8
• C. 6
• D. 5

Answer 1

Answer: (B)

Maximum oxidation state of transition metals = number of electrons in $(n-1)d$
orbital + number of electrons in $ns$ orbital.
The electronic configuration of
$OS=[Xe]4f^{14},5d^6,6s^2$
$\therefore$ Maximum oxidation state $=6+2=8$
$\therefore$ The highest oxidation state exhibited by transition metal is
$+8eg,Os{O}_4$.