<Li> Electrochemical oxidation state; it represents a molecule or ion in the Latimer diagram or Frost diagram for its redox - active element . An example is the Latimer diagram for sulfur at pH = 0 where the electrochemical oxidation state + 2 for sulfur puts HS O between S and H SO: </Li> <Ul> <Li> Systematic oxidation state; it is chosen from close alternatives for pedagogical reasons of descriptive chemistry . An example is the oxidation state of phosphorus in H PO (in fact the diprotic H PHO) taken nominally as + 3, while Allen electronegativities of P and H suggest + 5 by a narrow margin that makes the two alternatives almost equivalent: </Li> </Ul> <Li> Systematic oxidation state; it is chosen from close alternatives for pedagogical reasons of descriptive chemistry . An example is the oxidation state of phosphorus in H PO (in fact the diprotic H PHO) taken nominally as + 3, while Allen electronegativities of P and H suggest + 5 by a narrow margin that makes the two alternatives almost equivalent: </Li> <P> Both alternative oxidation states of phosphorus make chemical sense, depending on the chemical property or reaction we wish to emphasize . In contrast, their average does not . </P>

Stock name and latin name of elements with multiple oxidation number