Question

what is the oxidation number of carbon in C2O5?

Answer 1

The answer is +4.

The oxidation number of Carbon in C2O5 is +4.

Explanation:

Carbon belongs to the Group 14 elements in the periodic table with four valence electrons. When these elements combine with nonmetals to form compounds, they have an oxidation number of +4. However, if they form a compound by combining with hydrogen or metals, the oxidation number is +4.

Here, the compound C2O5 is formed by the combination of carbon with oxygen that is a nonmetal. Hence the oxidation number of carbon is +4.

Answer 2

Oxidation number of an element comes with their valency along with being positive, negative or neutral.

A compound's total oxidation number is neutral.
Oxidation number of Oxygen = -2
To find, oxidation  number of C in C2O5
Let oxidation  number of C in C2O5 be x
2 * x + (-2)*5 = 0
=>2x -10 = 0
=>2x = 10
=>x= 5
Hence, the Oxidation number of Carbon in C2O5 is +5. (Ans)