Q48E - Chemistry (OpenStax)

Question

Determine the oxidation state of sulfur in each of the following: 

(a) \(S{O_3}\)

(b) \(S{O_2}\)

(c) \(SO_3^{2 - }\)

Step-by-Step Solution

Answer

(a) For \({\rm{S}}{{\rm{O}}_3}\), the oxidation number of oxygen is\( - 2\)and for sulfur is\( + 6\).

(b) For \({\rm{S}}{{\rm{O}}_2}\), the oxidation number of oxygen is\( - 2\)and for sulfur is\( + 4\).

(c) For \({\rm{SO}}_3^{2 - }\), the oxidation number of oxygen is\( - 2\)and for sulfur is\( + 4\).

Step 1: Definition of oxidation state

An oxidation state is classified as a hypothetical charge. It is evaluated by adding the total electrons that are either gained or lost by anatom during bond formation. For a neutral compound, the addition of all oxidation states is zero.

Step 2: Oxidation state of sulfur in each element

In the compounds \({\rm{S}}{{\rm{O}}_3}\) and  \({\rm{S}}{{\rm{O}}_2}\),  the total sum of the oxidation numbers is zero, while in  \({\rm{SO}}_3^{2 - }\),  the total sum is  \( - 2\).

 

(a) In \({\rm{S}}{{\rm{O}}_3}\), the oxidation number of oxygen is\( - 2\), so the oxidation number of sulfur is\( + 6\).

 

(b) In \({\rm{S}}{{\rm{O}}_2}\) the oxidation number of oxygen is\( - 2\), while the oxidation number of sulfur is\( + 4\).

 

(c) In \({\rm{SO}}_3^{2 - }\) the oxidation number of oxygen is\( - 2\), while the oxidation number of sulfur is\( + 4\).