In actinides, both 4f and 5f orbitals are present. These orbitals poorly shields the nuclear charge due to which the energy difference between the 5f and the 6d orbitals will be very low due to which the actinides will show a large number of oxidation states. Caution The elements in which the extra electron enters 5 - orbitals of (n−2)th shell (5f-block elements, actinides) shows the maximum oxidation state i.e. +7.