Calculate the oxidation number of phosphorus in the following species.

A) $H P O_{3}^{2} -$

B) $P O_{4}^{3} -$

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Solution

A)
Let the oxidation number of phosphorous be $x$ in $H P O_{3}^{2 -}$
$+ 1 + x + (- 2) \times 3 = - 2$
$+ 1 + x - 6 = - 2$
$x - 5 = - 2$
$x = + 3$
Hence, oxidation number of phosphorus in $H P O_{3}^{2} -$ is $+ 3$ .

B)
Let the oxidation number of phosphorous be $x$ in $P O_{4}^{3 -}$
$x + (- 2) \times 4 = - 3$
$x - 8 = - 3$
$x = + 5$

Thus, oxidation number of phosphorus in $P O_{4}^{3 -}$ is $+ 5$ .

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