Why Nitrogen has 5 Oxidation Numbers that are false?

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the concept of oxidation numbers (ON) for nitrogen, specifically addressing the claim that five of the six oxidation numbers are false. A participant asserts that oxidation numbers are merely accounting tools without experimental validation, emphasizing that the commonly accepted oxidation states of nitrogen, including -3, are useful for calculations but not reflective of physical properties. The conversation highlights the importance of understanding oxidation numbers as a conceptual framework rather than absolute truths in chemistry.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of oxidation numbers in chemistry
  • Familiarity with redox reactions and their balancing
  • Basic knowledge of chemical compounds and their properties
  • Concept of electron accounting in chemical reactions
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the rules for calculating oxidation numbers in various compounds
  • Explore the role of oxidation numbers in balancing redox equations
  • Study the limitations of oxidation numbers in representing chemical reality
  • Investigate alternative methods for understanding electron transfer in reactions
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Chemistry students, educators, and anyone interested in deepening their understanding of oxidation numbers and their application in chemical equations.

Gjmdp
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My Chemistry Teacher told that 5 of the 6 oxidation numbers of Nitrogen are not true. He said something like it is a mathematical trick for I don't know what. The real oxidation number is -3. Can anyone explain me what are the 5 false oxidation number? Thank you.
 
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Your chemistry teacher is wrong. An oxidation number of -3 implies that N2 has a charge of -6.
 
First of all - oxidation numbers don't exist in reality. There is no property of an atom that can be measured to check what the ON is. ON are just an accounting device that helps us to keep track of the electrons - a clever, and useful one, but without any experimental support.

However, we have defined how to calculate oxidation numbers, and we can calculate them following the rules. For different existing compounds we get different ONs for the nitrogen, neither is more real than the rest, they all exist only in our calculations.
 
Ok thank you so much! This means that the chemistry I'm learning is wrong...
 
Gjmdp said:
This means that the chemistry I'm learning is wrong...

Not necessarily. As I wrote - ON are quite useful for balancing redox equations, just don't treat them too seriously.
 

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