Question

What is the oxidation number of phosphorous?

Answer 1

1. The oxidation state or oxidation number is defined as the ability of an atom molecule or compound to attain a stable configuration by the loss or gain of electrons.
2. Phosphorous is a chemical element with the atomic number 15.
3. The general electronic configuration of Phosphorous is $1{\mathrm{s}}^{2}2{\mathrm{s}}^{2}2{\mathrm{p}}^{6}3{\mathrm{s}}^{2}3{\mathrm{p}}^3$.
4. Phosphorous is the 11th most abundant element.
5. The last valence shell contains 5 electrons of which 2 electrons are present in the s-subshell and 3 electrons in the p-subshell.
6. To attain the stable configuration either it loses all 5 electrons or it gains 3 electrons.
7. Therefore, the Oxidation number of Phosphorous varies from -3 to +5.