What is the oxidation number of hydrogen in H2 ??

1 Answer
anor277 · Denise Granger
Jun 12, 2017

We has zerovalent hydrogen, i.e. #H(0)#.

Explanation:

The oxidation number is the charge assigned when the bonding electrons are distributed to the most electronegative atom. Clearly, for a homonuclear diatomic molecule, the bound atoms have EQUAL electronegativity, and we conceive that the electrons are shared between the two atoms to give #2xxdotH# radicals; a neutral charge and hence a zerovalent oxidation state. Capisce?

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