The dichromate ion is an oxyanion, which means that it contains oxygen and a central metal atom (in this case, chromium). The chromium atom in the dichromate ion is in the +6 oxidation state. The two chromium atoms in the ion are bonded to each other by a double bond, and each chromium atom is also bonded to four oxygen atoms. The overall shape of the dichromate ion is a distorted octahedron.