Question

What is the oxidation state of an individual nitrogen atom in nh4oh ? express the oxidation state numerically (e.g., +1)?

Answer 1

The oxidation state of an individual nitrogen atom in NH4OH is -3, determined by the rules for assigning oxidation states, where hydrogen is +1 and the ammonium ion has an overall charge of +1.

Step-by-step explanation:

The oxidation state of an individual nitrogen atom in NH4OH can be calculated using the rules for assigning oxidation states. The compound NH4OH consists of the ammonium ion (NH4+) and the hydroxide ion (OH-). To find the oxidation state of nitrogen, we consider that hydrogen generally has an oxidation state of +1 when combined with nonmetals and oxygen has an oxidation state of -2. In NH4+, with four hydrogen atoms, each hydrogen atom contributes +1, for a total of +4. To balance this and give the overall charge of the ammonium ion (+1), the nitrogen must have an oxidation state of -3.

Furthermore, in OH-, the oxygen has an oxidation state of -2, and the single hydrogen has an oxidation state of +1. But since we are only interested in the nitrogen atom, we focus only on the NH4+ part of NH4OH. So, the oxidation state of an individual nitrogen atom in NH4OH is -3.

Answer 2

In NH4OH, the compounds that make it up are NH4+ and OH-
Therefore N exists in the ammonium form.
In the ammonium ion 4H atoms are connected to N.
N is more electronegative than H, therefore when H bonds to N, H is the more positive atom therefore each H has a charge of +1, since there are 4 H atoms the charge contributed by the 4H atoms are +1 * 4 = +4
the overall charge of NH4 is +1
Charge of N (+) +4 = +1
Charge of N = +1 - 4
Therefore oxidation state of N in NH4 is = -3