Oxidation number of Sulfur in H2SO4
The oxidation number of sulfur in H2SO4 is +6.
In H2SO4, hydrogen has an oxidation state of +1 as it is a group 1 element. Oxygen in compounds is typically assigned an oxidation state of -2, and there are four oxygen atoms in H2SO4, giving a total oxidation number of -8 (-2 × 4).
Since the sum of the oxidation numbers in a neutral compound is zero, the oxidation state of sulfur (S) can be calculated by subtracting the oxidation states of hydrogen and oxygen from zero:
2 (+1) + x + 4 (-2) = 0
2 + x - 8 = 0
x - 6 = 0
x = +6
Therefore, the oxidation number of sulfur in H2SO4 is +6.