What is the oxidation state of hydrogen in the hydride ion (H-)?
Practice Questions
Q1
What is the oxidation state of hydrogen in the hydride ion (H-)?
0
+1
-1
+2
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
What is the oxidation state of hydrogen in the hydride ion (H-)?
Step 1: Understand what an oxidation state is. It is a number that represents the total number of electrons that an atom either gains or loses when it forms a compound.
Step 2: Identify the hydride ion. The hydride ion is represented as H-.
Step 3: Look at the charge of the hydride ion. The '-' sign indicates that the ion has gained an extra electron.
Step 4: Determine the number of electrons hydrogen normally has. Hydrogen normally has 1 electron.
Step 5: Since the hydride ion has gained an extra electron, it now has 2 electrons.
Step 6: Calculate the oxidation state. The oxidation state is equal to the number of electrons gained (which is 1) but since it is a negative ion, the oxidation state is -1.
Step 7: Conclude that in the hydride ion (H-), hydrogen has an oxidation state of -1.
