What is the common oxidation state of nitrogen in ammonia (NH3)? (2023) 2023

What is the common oxidation state of nitrogen in ammonia (NH3)? (2023) 2023

Step 1: Understand that oxidation state refers to the charge of an atom in a compound.
Step 2: Identify the chemical formula of ammonia, which is NH3.
Step 3: Recognize that ammonia consists of one nitrogen (N) atom and three hydrogen (H) atoms.
Step 4: Know that hydrogen typically has an oxidation state of +1.
Step 5: Calculate the total oxidation state contributed by the three hydrogen atoms: 3 H atoms × +1 = +3.
Step 6: Set up the equation for the total oxidation state of the compound: Oxidation state of N + Total oxidation state of H = 0.
Step 7: Substitute the known values into the equation: Oxidation state of N + 3 = 0.
Step 8: Solve for the oxidation state of nitrogen: Oxidation state of N = 0 - 3 = -3.

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