Editing Oxidation state (section)

=== Oxidation state in metals ===
Many compounds with [[Lustre (mineralogy)|luster]] and [[electrical conductivity]] maintain a simple [[stoichiometric]] formula, such as the golden [[titanium monoxide|TiO]], blue-black [[ruthenium dioxide|RuO<sub>2</sub>]] or coppery [[rhenium trioxide|ReO<sub>3</sub>]], all of obvious oxidation state. Ultimately, assigning the free metallic electrons to one of the bonded atoms is not comprehensive and can yield unusual oxidation states. Examples are the LiPb and {{chem|Cu|3|Au}} ordered [[alloy]]s, the composition and structure of which are largely determined by [[Atomic radius|atomic size]] and [[Atomic packing factor|packing factors]]. Should oxidation state be needed for redox balancing, it is best set to 0 for all atoms of such an alloy.