So we had a midterm today and the question was "Which of these compounds has the atom with the highest oxidation number?"
A= CaS
B= Na3N
C= MgSO3
D= Al2O3
E= NH4Cl
I got it wrong in the exam I think so I went and worked it out, I'm pretty sure it was C after I had went back and looked at it. I got Sulfur with +4 as the reason why it is the atom with the highest oxidation number.
So my friend, bless his patient soul, who is basically a walking encyclopedia, said he worked it out by the transfer of the electrons (Mg (-2)), (S (+2)), O(+2) in order to gain full shells of electrons. So I'm just wondering is that another way to work out the answer? I don't want to wreck his head any further.
So basically I'm asking is there another way to work out oxidation numbers like from the amount of electrons it needs to gain or lose?
And why does Sulfur in MgSO3 have an oxidation number of +4?