How can some elements, like Nitrogen, Iron or Sulfur, have so many different oxides? Won’t there only be one configuration in which the elements can share/transfer electrons to satisfy their full outer shell?
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It has to do with the energy states.
Think about the graph of energy vs the bonds like a roller coaster. Unbonded would be the top of the roller coaster, and as electrons bond, the roller coaster drops. Now imagine the track in between those points. It raises up in between those points because that’s not a valid electron configuration. It creates a little dip around a certain electron configuration, that is a valid oxidation state. If there is more than one of those dips, there is more than one oxidation state. One may be a higher energy than another, but the little rise before the next drop can act as a little cup to hold it in.
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