- Magnesium (Mg): +2
- Carbon (C): +4
- Oxygen (O): -2
To calculate the overall oxidation number of the compound, we add up the oxidation numbers of each atom, taking into account the number of atoms of each type:
(1 x +2) + (1 x +4) + (3 x -2) = 0
Therefore, the overall oxidation number of MgCO3 is 0, which is expected since the compound is neutral.