What is the oxidation number of CH3F?

Answer 1

Oxidation numbers are a characteristic of individual atoms within a molecule, not of the molecule itself. In fluoromethane, the compound given by formula in the problem statement, carbon is assigned an oxidation number of +4 and each hydrogen or fluorine atom is assigned an oxidation number of -1. Note, however, that the compound is covalently bonded, so that these oxidization numbers do not represent complete transfer of electrons from the carbon atom to the other atoms.

Answer 2

In CH3F, the oxidation number of carbon (C) is -3, the oxidation number of hydrogen (H) is +1, and the oxidation number of fluorine (F) is -1. The sum of the oxidation numbers in a neutral compound is zero.

Answer 3

Oh, dude, the oxidation number of CH3F is like -1. Carbon usually has an oxidation number of -4 in organic compounds, and since hydrogen is +1 and fluorine is -1, you add them up and voilà, you get -1. It's like a math problem, but with more atoms and less excitement.