What is the oxidation number of carbon monoxide?
Understand the Problem
The question is asking for the oxidation number of carbon in the compound carbon monoxide (CO). To determine the oxidation number, we will analyze the bonding of carbon and oxygen in this compound.
Answer
+2
The oxidation number of carbon in carbon monoxide is +2
Answer for screen readers
The oxidation number of carbon in carbon monoxide is +2
More Information
In CO, carbon achieves an oxidation state of +2 by assigning the bonding electrons to the more electronegative oxygen and the two non-bonding electrons to carbon.
Tips
A common mistake is assuming the oxidation state of carbon to be zero due to an initial misunderstanding of how the bonding electrons are assigned.
Sources
- The oxidation state of carbon in carbon monoxide - Wikipedia - en.wikipedia.org
- What is the oxidation number of carbon monoxide? - Byju's - byjus.com
- What is the oxidation state of CO? - Quora - quora.com
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