Question
What is the oxidation number of S in the compound shown below. Given: Oxygen has an oxidation number of -2.
Answers
GPT-4o mini
To determine the oxidation number of sulfur (S) in a compound when given the oxidation number of oxygen (O) as -2, you need to consider the overall charge of the compound and the contributions from all the elements present.
For example, let's consider a common compound where sulfur is involved, such as sulfur dioxide (SO₂):
1. **Assign oxygen's oxidation number**: Each oxygen has an oxidation number of -2. Since there are two oxygen atoms, the total contribution from oxygen is:
\[
2 \times (-2) = -4
\]
2. **Set up the equation for the whole compound**: If the compound is neutral (like SO₂), the sum of the oxidation numbers must equal the overall charge, which is 0:
\[
\text{Oxidation number of S} + \text{Total oxidation from O} = 0
\]
Therefore, we can set up the equation:
\[
\text{Oxidation number of S} - 4 = 0
\]
3. **Solve for the oxidation number of S**:
\[
\text{Oxidation number of S} = +4
\]
Thus, the oxidation number of sulfur in SO₂ is +4.
If you have a specific compound in mind, you can follow similar steps by finding out how many oxygen atoms are present and adjusting the equation accordingly to find the oxidation state of sulfur. Please provide the specific compound if you need an exact answer for a particular one.
For example, let's consider a common compound where sulfur is involved, such as sulfur dioxide (SO₂):
1. **Assign oxygen's oxidation number**: Each oxygen has an oxidation number of -2. Since there are two oxygen atoms, the total contribution from oxygen is:
\[
2 \times (-2) = -4
\]
2. **Set up the equation for the whole compound**: If the compound is neutral (like SO₂), the sum of the oxidation numbers must equal the overall charge, which is 0:
\[
\text{Oxidation number of S} + \text{Total oxidation from O} = 0
\]
Therefore, we can set up the equation:
\[
\text{Oxidation number of S} - 4 = 0
\]
3. **Solve for the oxidation number of S**:
\[
\text{Oxidation number of S} = +4
\]
Thus, the oxidation number of sulfur in SO₂ is +4.
If you have a specific compound in mind, you can follow similar steps by finding out how many oxygen atoms are present and adjusting the equation accordingly to find the oxidation state of sulfur. Please provide the specific compound if you need an exact answer for a particular one.