What are the typical oxidation numbers for nonmetals?

Nonmetals typically have negative oxidation numbers when they gain electrons during chemical reactions. This is primarily because nonmetals tend to have higher electronegativity compared to metals, meaning they have a stronger tendency to attract electrons. In many cases, nonmetals can achieve a more stable electron configuration by gaining electrons to fill their outer electron shells, especially when forming ionic compounds with metals.

For instance, elements like oxygen and chlorine are good examples; oxygen often has an oxidation number of -2, while chlorine can have an oxidation number of -1 in many compounds. These negative oxidation numbers reflect the gain of electrons that leads to a more stable electronic arrangement for the nonmetals.

In contrast, while nonmetals can also exhibit positive or variable oxidation states in certain situations (like in covalent bonding or in higher oxidation states), their common behavior in bonding reflects a tendency to gain electrons, thus primarily showing negative oxidation numbers.