Ok I think I figured this out but im not sure if its right please help. Thanks(=
Determine the oxidation number for nitrogen in each of the following
a)NH3 = -3
b)NO2-1 = 2
c)N2= 2
d)NO2Cl= 2
e)N2H4= 2
The first one is right.
All must add to zero for a compound OR to the ionic charge.
N= -3; H =+1 each for +3. +3 and -3 = 0 so NH3 is ok.
NO2^-1.
You have N = 2. O is -2 each for -4. +2 and -4 = -2 and that ISN'T the ionic charge of -1 so N=2 is not right.
All elements in the free state have an oxidation state of zero. So c is 0.
You need to redo b, c, d, and e.
I don't really understand. The only one I could kinda change was b and I got -1 because O loses an electron. Im really confused
is d -2 and e -4?
It isn't a matter of what loses and what gains.
For NO2^-, O is -2 oxidation state (it is in group VIA or 16 depending upon the system you are using). We want to leave a -1 charge on the ion; therefore, we make N + 3 so that +3 for N + (2*-2 for O) = +3-4=-1. Voila! So N is +3 in nitrite ion.
NOCl. This is a compound, so we want everything to add to zero.
O is -2. Cl is -1. total - charge is -3 so N must be +3 to add to zero. (I don't remember if you had NOCl or another one. If not NOCl, I'll repost it.).
NO2Cl. A compound so it must add to zero. Oxygen is -2. We have 2*-2=-4. Cl is -1. Total - charge is -4 and -1 = -5 so N must be +5 to add to zero.
N2H4. H is +1. There are 4 of them so 4*1=+4. Therefore, N must be -4 for the 2 atoms or -4/2 = -2 for each N.
b)NO2-1
d)NO2Cl
e)N2H4
thanks for all your help!!
You're welcome! I'm glad I could help clarify things for you. Let's go through the oxidation numbers again:
b) NO2^-1
You got this one right! Oxygen has an oxidation number of -2, and since there are two oxygen atoms, it contributes -4 to the total. The overall charge of the ion is -1, which means the nitrogen atom must have an oxidation number of +3. So, the oxidation number for nitrogen in NO2^-1 is +3.
d) NO2Cl
For this compound, oxygen has an oxidation number of -2 (as before), and chlorine has an oxidation number of -1. Since there are two oxygen atoms, they contribute -4, and chlorine contributes -1 to the total. We want the total oxidation number to add up to zero, so the nitrogen atom must have an oxidation number of +5 to balance out all the charges. Therefore, the oxidation number for nitrogen in NO2Cl is +5.
e) N2H4
In N2H4, hydrogen has an oxidation number of +1 (as before), and there are four hydrogen atoms, so they contribute +4 to the total. We want the total oxidation number to add up to zero, so the nitrogen atoms must have a combined oxidation number of -4. Since there are two nitrogen atoms, each one has an oxidation number of -2. Therefore, the oxidation number for nitrogen in N2H4 is -2.
So, the correct answers are:
a) NH3: -3
b) NO2^-1: +3
c) N2: 0
d) NO2Cl: +5
e) N2H4: -2
I hope this clears up any confusion you had. Let me know if you have any more questions!