What is the oxidation state of $"Pb"$ in $"PbO"_2$ ?

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Answer 1 · 2018-03-16T12:29:59

It is $+4$ .

In $"PbO"_2$ , oxygen exhibits an oxidation number of $-2$ (since it's not a peroxide or superoxide):

Let the oxidation number of $"Pb"$ be $x$ . Then, for the compound to be neutral, the oxidation numbers of all atoms should add up to zero.

$=>x +(-2) +(-2) = 0$

$x=+4$

So the oxidation no. of $"Pb"$ is $+4$ .

Hope it helps!

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