The oxidation number of carboxylic carbon atom in `CH_(3)COOH` is

Options

A. `+2`
B. `+4`
C. `+1`
D. `+3`

Explanation

To determine the oxidation number of the carboxylic carbon atom in acetic acid (CH₃COOH), we can follow these steps:

### Step 1: Identify the structure of acetic acid
Acetic acid (CH₃COOH) has the following structure:

```
O
||
H3C-C-OH
```

In this structure, the carboxylic carbon is the one bonded to the hydroxyl group (-OH) and the carbonyl group (C=O).

### Step 2: Assign oxidation numbers to atoms
To find the oxidation number of the carboxylic carbon, we need to consider the oxidation states of the other atoms in the molecule:

1. **Hydrogen (H)** typically has an oxidation number of +1.
2. **Oxygen (O)** typically has an oxidation number of -2 in most compounds, but in the hydroxyl group (-OH), it is -1.

### Step 3: Set up the equation for oxidation number
Let the oxidation number of the carboxylic carbon be \( x \). The molecule has:

- 3 hydrogen atoms contributing \( 3 \times (+1) = +3 \)
- 1 carbon atom (the carboxylic carbon) contributing \( x \)
- 1 carbon atom (the methyl carbon) contributing \( 0 \) (as it is not involved in the carboxylic group)
- 2 oxygen atoms contributing \( 2 \times (-2) = -4 \)

### Step 4: Write the oxidation number equation
The sum of the oxidation numbers in a neutral molecule must equal 0. Therefore, we can write the equation as:

\[ x + 3 - 4 = 0 \]

### Step 5: Solve for \( x \)
Now, we can solve the equation:

\[ x - 1 = 0 \]
\[ x = +1 \]

### Conclusion
The oxidation number of the carboxylic carbon atom in acetic acid (CH₃COOH) is +3.

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