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Compounds do not have oxidation numbers; only single atoms and elements do.

However:

  • hydrogen in compounds always has an ON of +1 (except in hydrides, where it is -1).
  • oxygen always has an ON of -2 in compounds (except in peroxides and other certain compounds).
  • phosphorous in this case has an ON of +5 (the total ON on oxygens is -8, but -3 is covered by the overall charge of the phosphate anion).
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15y ago

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