Oxidation number of oxygen in ozone is _______.

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ACC 124 ACT Paper (Held in Feb 2021)
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  1. 0
  2. -2
  3. +2
  4. -6

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Option 1 : 0
ACC 124 GMAT Paper (Held in Feb 2021)
150 Questions 300 Marks 180 Mins

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The correct answer is 0.

Key Points

  • The oxidation number of an oxygen atom in the ozone is zero, just like in oxygen gas. 
  • Oxygen being a reactive non-metal occurs in various forms, ozone is also one of the highly reactive gas made up of 3 oxygen atoms.
  • Ozone is both natural and a man-made product that occurs in the earth’s upper
  • As we know the molecular formula of ozone is O3, which is 3 oxygen atoms, The atomic number of oxygen is 8 and its valency is -2, as it requires 2 electrons to complete its octet.

Additional Information

  • The structure of ozone is

  • Now, as we know, the oxidation number is the total number of electrons that an atom either gains or loses in order to form a chemical bond with another atom. It is also known as the oxidation state.
  • The oxidation number for elements in their natural forms is zero because these compounds are extremely stable.
  • The oxidation number represents the number of electrons the element can give away (if positive) or lose (if negative). Such stable molecules have no electrons to lose or gain.
  • The oxidation number for O3 is zero despite being so reactive, which is kind of an exception for this general principle.