In carbon suboxide ( ) and tribromooctaoxide ( ), what are the actual oxidation states of the consti — Redox Reactions and Volumetric Analysis Chemistry Question

💡 Solution & Explanation

The mathematically calculated average oxidation state of C in $C_3O_2$ is $+4/3$ . Structurally ( $O=C=C=C=O$ ), the terminal carbons are double-bonded to oxygen (acquiring $+2$ ) and the central carbon is bonded only to other carbons (remaining $0$ ). For $Br_3O_8$ ( $O_3Br-BrO_2-BrO_3$ ), the average is $+16/3$ . Structurally, the terminal $Br$ atoms are double-bonded to 3 oxygens ( $+6$ ) and the central $Br$ is double-bonded to 2 oxygens ( $+4$ ).