question_answer

                                   Oxygen does not show oxidation states of + 4 and + 6 like sulphur. Explain.

Answer:

                                                   Sulphur shows +4 and +6 oxidation states due to the presence of vacant 3d orbitals to which electrons can be promoted from 3s and 3p filled orbitals. Since oxygen atom does not have 2d orbitals, no electron promotion is possible in this case. Therefore, oxygen cannot show + 4 and + 6 oxidation states in compounds. For more details, consult text part.