The oxidation number of various nitrogen compounds is: [table]
| NO | NO2 | HNO3 | NH3 | NH4OH A. | +2 | +4 | +5 | -3 | -3 B. | +2 | +4 | +5 | -3 | +5 C. | +2 | +4 | +5 | +3 | -3 D. | +2 | +4 | +7 | -3 | +3
[/table]

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BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

First, let's restate the problem to focus on what needs to be determined: the oxidation numbers of nitrogen in several compounds: NO, NO2, HNO3, NH3, and NH4OH, with four given options A–D.
Option A: NO: N is +2, NO2: N is +4, HNO3: N is +5, NH3: N is -3, NH4OH: N is -3. This aligns with standard oxidation state rules: oxygen almost always −2, hydrogen almost always +1 (except metal hydrides), and the sum of oxidation states in a neutral molecule is 0. Check each: NO has O as −2, so N must be +2 to total 0. NO2 has two O atoms (−4 total), so N must be +4. HNO3 has three O (−6) and one H (+1); to sum to 0, N must be +5. NH3 consists of N with three Hs; 3(+1) = +3, so to reach 0 total, N must be −3. NH4OH contains NH4+ (where N is −3) balanced by OH− (O −2, H +1); the overall molecule is neutral, so N remains −3. This option consistently follows the standard oxidation-number rules.
Option B: NO: +2 (okay), NO2: +4 (okay), HNO3: +5 (okay), NH3: −3 (okay), NH4OH: +5. The last value is inconsistent with the charge balance of NH4OH, since NH4OH is a neutral compound and the nitride nitrogen in NH4+ is indeed −3 in the ammonium ion context; assigning +5 would violate the typical assignment for nitrogen in the ammonium context. This makes the last entry incorrect.
Option C: NO: +2 (okay), NO2: +4 (okay), HNO3: +5 (okay), NH3: +3 (incorrect), NH4OH: −3 (incorrect if taken as a standalone nitrogen in NH4OH). Here, NH3 should be −3, not +3, and for NH4OH the nitrogen is tied to the ammonium ion context where it is −3, so this option misstates both NH3 and NH4OH values.
Option D: NO: +2 (okay), NO2: +4 (okay), HNO3: +7 (incorrect by a wide margin, as HNO3 requires N = +5 to balance O and H), NH3: +3 (incorrect; NH3 should be −3). Since two entries are wrong, this option fails the straightforward balancing test.
In summary, each option alters at least one nitrogen oxidation state in a way that contradicts the standard rules: oxygen at −2, hydrogen at +1, and the requirement that the sum of oxidation states equals the overall charge (0 for neutral molecules). The only set that consistently satisfies all the oxidation-state constraints for all five species is the one where NO is +2, NO2 is +4, HNO3 is +5, NH3 is −3, and NH4OH is −3.
All other options introduce at least one incorrect oxidation number that violates basic oxidation-number bookkeeping or the known chemistry of ammonium species.

MCD1170 - T1 - 2025 Revision Quiz

The oxidation number of various nitrogen compounds is: [table] | NO | NO2 | HNO3 | NH3 | NH4OH A. | +2 | +4 | +5 | -3 | -3 B. | +2 | +4 | +5 | -3 | +5 C. | +2 | +4 | +5 | +3 | -3 D. | +2 | +4 | +7 | -3 | +3 [/table]

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