Which of the following oxides of Nitrogen is Neutral

Options

A. `N_2O_5`
B. `N_2O_3`
C. `N_2O_4`
D. `N_2O`

Answer

To determine which of the following oxides of nitrogen is neutral, we will analyze the oxidation states of nitrogen in each oxide. The given oxides are N2O5, N2O3, N2O4, and N2O.

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Identify the Oxides of Nitrogen**: The oxides we need to analyze are:
- N2O5
- N2O3
- N2O4
- N2O

2. **Calculate the Oxidation State of Nitrogen in Each Oxide**:
- **For N2O5**:
- Let the oxidation state of nitrogen be \( x \).
- The equation is: \( 2x + 5(-2) = 0 \) (since oxygen has an oxidation state of -2).
- This simplifies to: \( 2x - 10 = 0 \) → \( 2x = 10 \) → \( x = +5 \).

- **For N2O3**:
- Let the oxidation state of nitrogen be \( x \).
- The equation is: \( 2x + 3(-2) = 0 \).
- This simplifies to: \( 2x - 6 = 0 \) → \( 2x = 6 \) → \( x = +3 \).

- **For N2O4**:
- Let the oxidation state of nitrogen be \( x \).
- The equation is: \( 2x + 4(-2) = 0 \).
- This simplifies to: \( 2x - 8 = 0 \) → \( 2x = 8 \) → \( x = +4 \).

- **For N2O**:
- Let the oxidation state of nitrogen be \( x \).
- The equation is: \( 2x + 1(-2) = 0 \).
- This simplifies to: \( 2x - 2 = 0 \) → \( 2x = 2 \) → \( x = +1 \).

3. **Determine the Acidic or Neutral Nature**:
- The acidic character of nitrogen oxides generally increases with an increase in the oxidation state of nitrogen.
- The oxidation states we found are:
- N2O5: +5 (acidic)
- N2O3: +3 (acidic)
- N2O4: +4 (acidic)
- N2O: +1 (neutral)

4. **Conclusion**:
- The oxide with the least oxidation state is N2O, which has an oxidation state of +1. This indicates that N2O is neutral in nature.

### Final Answer:
The neutral oxide of nitrogen is **N2O**.