What is the oxidation number for each element in (NH4)2S

The oxidation number for each element in (NH4)2S is calculated as follows:

1. Nitrogen (N) in NH4: The oxidation number of Hydrogen (H) is +1. Since there are 4 Hydrogen atoms, the total charge contributed by Hydrogen is +4. However, the overall charge of the NH4 ion is 0. Therefore, Nitrogen must have an oxidation number of -3 to balance out the +4 from Hydrogen.

2. Hydrogen (H) in NH4: As mentioned above, the oxidation number of Hydrogen is +1.

3. Sulfur (S) in S: The overall charge of the (NH4)2S molecule is 0. The two NH4 ions contribute a total charge of 2*(-3) = -6. Therefore, to balance this out, Sulfur must have an oxidation number of +6.

So, the oxidation numbers are: N is -3, H is +1, and S is +6.