Question

What is the oxidation number of titanium in titanium oxide?

Answer 1

The oxidation number also known as oxidation state which describes the degree of oxidation i.e. loss of electrons of an atom in a chemical compound. Conceptually the oxidation state may be positive, negative or zero.

Complete answer:
Oxidation states are typically represented by integers which may be positive, zero, or negative. In some cases, the average oxidation state of an element is a fraction.
The substance which donates electrons during the oxidation process is known as oxidized substance. To determine in which compound nitrogen have greatest oxidation state we have to calculate the oxidation state of nitrogen in the given atom which can be calculated as follows:
Titanium oxide is represented by the chemical formula $Ti{{O}_{2}}$where titanium is a chemical element having atomic number 22. Now we know oxidation state of oxygen is always two and there is negative charge present on the compound which corresponds that oxygen will contain -2 oxidation state now we have only one titanium atom and two oxygen atoms present in the given compound so the oxidation state of oxygen can be calculated by using the following method:
Let us suppose the oxidation state of titanium is x
$Ti{{O}_{2}}=x-2\times 2=x-4$
Now the value of x can be calculated by:
$x-4=0;x=4$ which corresponds to the oxidation state of titanium in $Ti{{O}_{2}}$, Titanium oxide is 4.

Note:
The increase in oxidation state of an atom, through a chemical reaction, is known as an oxidation; a decrease in oxidation state is known as a reduction. Such reactions involve the formal transfer of electrons: a net gain in electrons being a reduction, and a net loss of electrons being an oxidation. For pure elements, the oxidation state is zero.