What is the oxidation state of nitrogen in NH4+?

What is the oxidation state of nitrogen in NH4+?

Correct Answer: -3

Step 1: Identify the chemical formula, which is NH4+. This means there is one nitrogen (N) atom and four hydrogen (H) atoms.
Step 2: Know that hydrogen typically has an oxidation state of +1.
Step 3: Since there are four hydrogen atoms, calculate the total oxidation state contributed by hydrogen: 4 H atoms × +1 = +4.
Step 4: The overall charge of the NH4+ ion is +1.
Step 5: Set up the equation for the oxidation states: Oxidation state of N + Total oxidation state of H = Overall charge.
Step 6: Substitute the known values into the equation: Oxidation state of N + 4 = +1.
Step 7: Solve for the oxidation state of nitrogen: Oxidation state of N = +1 - 4 = -3.

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