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In oxygen difluoride (OF2) and dioxygen difluoride(O2F2), the oxygen is assigned an oxidation number of
  • a)
    +2
  • b)
    +2 and +1
  • c)
    +2 and +4
  • d)
    +4 and +3
Correct answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer?
Verified Answer
In oxygen difluoride(OF2)and dioxygen difluoride(O2F2), the oxygen is ...
Oxygen is an electronegative element -True.
But oxygen is not the most electronegative element. It has an electro negativity of 3.5 on Pauling scale. That means if oxygen combines with an element which is more electronegative than it will surely possess a positive oxidation state.
Fluorine being the most electronegative element (electro negativity of 4.0 on Pauling scale) will in any case (except in fluorine gas) have an oxidation state of -1. So that's the reason why oxygen has a +2 oxidation state in OF2.
Dioxygen difluoride (O2F2) is another fluoride of oxygen in which oxygen has an oxidation state of +1.
Fluorine in its gaseous form (F2) has zero oxidation state.
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Most Upvoted Answer
In oxygen difluoride(OF2)and dioxygen difluoride(O2F2), the oxygen is ...
Oxidation number is the hypothetical charge assigned to an atom in a molecule or ion. In the given compounds, oxygen is bonded with fluorine, which is more electronegative than oxygen. As a result, oxygen has a partial negative charge, and fluorine has a partial positive charge.

Oxidation number of oxygen in OF2:
- Fluorine has an electronegativity of 4.0, while oxygen has an electronegativity of 3.5. Therefore, in OF2, oxygen is less electronegative than fluorine.
- Oxygen has two lone pairs of electrons and two bonds with fluorine atoms. Each bond is a covalent bond, and both electrons in the bond are equally shared.
- Therefore, the oxidation number of oxygen in OF2 is -1 (since two fluorine atoms, each with an oxidation number of -1, balances the charge of the molecule).

Oxidation number of oxygen in O2F2:
- In O2F2, two oxygen atoms are bonded to two fluorine atoms each. Since fluorine is more electronegative than oxygen, each oxygen atom has a partial positive charge.
- Each oxygen atom has two bonds with fluorine atoms and two lone pairs of electrons.
- Therefore, the oxidation number of each oxygen atom in O2F2 is +1 (since each oxygen atom has two lone pairs and two bonds with fluorine atoms, but the two fluorine atoms have an oxidation number of -1 each, which balances the charge of the molecule).

Therefore, the correct answer is option 'B', which states that the oxidation number of oxygen in OF2 is -1 and the oxidation number of oxygen in O2F2 is +1.
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In oxygen difluoride(OF2)and dioxygen difluoride(O2F2), the oxygen is assigned an oxidation number ofa)+2b)+2 and +1c)+2 and +4d)+4 and +3Correct answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer?
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