Is the Oxidation State of Nitrate Really +5 or +4?

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Nitrate (NO3-) has an oxidation state of +5 due to the formal charge distribution among its oxygen atoms, despite having four bonds to oxygen. The oxidation state is calculated based on the overall charge of the ion and the electronegativity of the atoms involved, not merely the number of bonds. In the molecular form as nitric acid (HNO3), the nitrogen is bonded to oxygen in various forms, contributing to its +5 state. The confusion arises from the presence of a negative charge on one oxygen, which affects the overall oxidation state of nitrogen. Understanding these concepts clarifies why nitrate is assigned an oxidation state of +5.
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Why does nitrate (NO3-) have an oxidation state of +5? Doesn't it have 4 bonds to oxygen? Shouldn't that give it an oxidation state of +4?
 
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read this, http://http://www.chem.lsu.edu/lucid/allen/OxNumbers.htm"

Oxidation numbers are not determined by the number of bonds to the atom
 
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That link doesn't work for me and I am still wondering about this topic. Anybody else want to fill me in?
 
In NO3-, the negative charge is on the oxygen. in molecular form, it would have been nitric acid, HNO3. there is an N-O-H bond, a N=O bond and a N<=O bond (dative).

In NO3-, the N-O-H bond becomes N-O^-

it has 5 'bonds' to oxygen. (1 double bond, 1 dative double bond and 1 single bond with O-)
 
Spirochete-Are you referring to the oxidation state of the nitrogen atom?
 

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