Explanation and Answer:
formula of Chlorite ion = ClO₂⁻
formula of Chlorate ion = ClO₃⁻
The chlorite ion contains two atoms of O, and the chlorate ion contains three atoms of O.
They are both cations and their charges are -1 but, the main difference between them is that the oxidation state of Cl in the chlorite ion is 3+ and the oxidation state of Cl in the chlorate ion is +5.
formula of sulfite ion = SO₃²⁻
formula of sulfate ion = SO₄²⁻
Sulfite and sulfate are both cations with charge -2. The oxidation state of S in the sulfite ion is +4 and the oxidation state of S in the sulfate ion is +6.
How are the chlorate and the chlorite ions similar to the sulfate and sulfite ions?
When naming a polyatomic ion the sufix is related to the oxidation state of the main element.
common positive oxidation states of Cl = +1 +3 +5 +7
common positive oxidation states of S = +4 +6
When the element has two main positive oxidation states (like S) , the sufix for the lower oxidation state is -ite (sulfite = +4) and the sufix for the greater oxidation that is usually more stable is -ate (sulfate = +6).
When the element has four main positive oxidation states (like Cl), the two in the middle are named in a similar way to the previous one. The lower oxidation state must have -ite as a sufix (chlorite = +3) and the sufix for the greater is -ate (chlorate = +5).
