text: oxidation numbers of an equation? help!  ok. the equation is cu + 2agno3 ---> cu(no3)2 + 2ag i know that the "rules" states that cu and ag's oxidation numbers are 0, but how do i get the numbers for the other two compounds? you use the oxidation state (charge) of the anions, which are usually constant:  no3 = -1  so agno3  ag= +1 cu(no3)2 cu= +2 note: total charge of these 2 molecules is zero, allowing for this conclusion.  also, ag typically has a state of +1 as a cation