Editing Carbon monoxide (section)

===Bond polarity and oxidation state===
Theoretical and experimental studies show that, despite the greater electronegativity of oxygen, the dipole moment points from the more-negative carbon end to the more-positive oxygen end.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Blanco | first1 = Fernando | last2 = Alkorta | first2 = Ibon | last3 = Solimannejad | first3 = Mohammad | last4 = Elguero | first4 = Jose | title = Theoretical Study of the 1:1 Complexes between Carbon Monoxide and Hypohalous Acids | journal = J. Phys. Chem. A |year= 2009 |volume= 113 |issue=13 | pmid = 19275137 |pages= 3237–3244 |doi = 10.1021/jp810462h |bibcode = 2009JPCA..113.3237B | hdl = 10261/66300 | hdl-access = free }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Meerts | first1 = W | title = Electric and magnetic properties of carbon monoxide by molecular-beam electric-resonance spectroscopy | journal = Chemical Physics | volume =22 | issue =2 |date= 1 June 1977 | pages =319–324 |doi=10.1016/0301-0104(77)87016-X|bibcode = 1977CP.....22..319M | last2 = De Leeuw | first2 = F.H. | last3 = Dymanus | first3 = A. }}</ref> The three bonds are in fact [[polar covalent bond]]s that are strongly polarized. The calculated polarization toward the oxygen atom is 71% for the [[sigma bond|σ-bond]] and 77% for both [[pi bond|π-bonds]].<ref name="Stefan">{{cite journal | last1 = Stefan | first1 = Thorsten | last2 = Janoschek | first2 = Rudolf | title = How relevant are S=O and P=O Double Bonds for the Description of the Acid Molecules H<sub>2</sub>SO<sub>3</sub>, H<sub>2</sub>SO<sub>4</sub>, and H<sub>3</sub>PO<sub>3</sub>, respectively? | journal= Journal of Molecular Modeling | volume =6 | issue=2 |year=2000 |pages=282–288 |doi=10.1007/PL00010730| s2cid = 96291857 }}</ref>

The [[oxidation state]] of carbon in carbon monoxide is +2 in each of these structures. It is calculated by counting all the bonding electrons as belonging to the more electronegative oxygen. Only the two non-bonding electrons on carbon are assigned to carbon. In this count, carbon then has only two valence electrons in the molecule compared to four in the free atom.