The oxidation state of oxygen in tetraoxosulphate(IV) acid is

The oxidation state (or number) of an element is a number that represents the total number of electrons that an atom can gain, lose, or share when forming a chemical compound. In tetraoxosulphate(IV) acid, the formula is H2SO4, which means that there are four oxygen atoms. To determine the oxidation state of oxygen, we can use the rule that hydrogen has an oxidation state of +1 and oxygen has an oxidation state of -2 in most compounds. Since there are two hydrogen atoms in H2SO4, their total oxidation state is +2. To balance this out, the four oxygen atoms must have a total oxidation state of -8. Therefore, the oxidation state of each oxygen atom is -2. Hence, the answer is -2.