What is the oxidation number of Phosphorus in the following compound? (Recall that the common oxidation number for Oxygen is -2 and the common oxidation number for H is +1.)
H3PO3
The oxidation number of H is always +1, and the oxidation number of O is always -2.
Let x be the oxidation number of P.
The compound H3PO3 consists of 3 hydrogen atoms and 3 oxygen atoms, which have a combined oxidation number of +3 and -6, respectively.
We can set up the equation:
(+3) + x + (-6) = 0 (the sum of the oxidation numbers in a compound is always 0)
Simplifying the equation, we have:
x - 3 = 0
Adding 3 to both sides, we get:
x = +3
Therefore, the oxidation number of Phosphorus (P) in H3PO3 is +3.