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What is the oxidation number of nitrogen?

Answer
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Hint: To solve the given question, we should have knowledge about oxidation numbers and how to calculate them. Oxidation Number is the number of electrons gained or lost or shared to form a compound from an element.
Some general rules that follow oxidation number are that the oxidation number of a free element is always 0, the oxidation number of a Group 1 element in a compound is +1 , a Group 2 element in a compound is +2 and the sum of oxidation numbers of all of the atoms in a compound is of the total charge of the molecule.

Complete step by step answer:
Step-1 :
The Nitrogen atom has different oxidation numbers with different atoms to form a different number of compounds. Oxidation state of Nitrogen generally is 3.
Step-2 :
If we look at any other compound like nitrate which has a formula of NO3 . The oxidation state of nitrogen can be calculated as the Oxidation number of N+3× Oxidation number of oxygen = Total charge on the molecule.
x+3(2)=1
x=+5
Step-3 :
Let’s take another look at another compound like ammonia having the molecular formula of . The compound as a whole is neutral. So, the oxidation number of Nitrogen can be calculated as :
x+3=0
x=3

Note:
The nitrogen gas has a molecular formula of which is neutral, so, the charge is zero in this case. The atomic number of Nitrogen is 7 with a mass of 14amu .
While calculating the oxidation number of an atom in a compound, make sure to determine the charge of the whole compound as it is the most important step while calculating the oxidation number.
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