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Hypochlorous acid is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula Cl O H, also written as HClO, HOCl, or ClHO. [2] [3] Its structure is H−O−Cl.It is an acid that forms when chlorine dissolves in water, and itself partially dissociates, forming a hypochlorite anion, ClO −.
2 HClO 2 → HClO + HClO 3. Although the acid is difficult to obtain in pure substance, the conjugate base, chlorite, derived from this acid is stable. One example of a salt of this anion is the well-known sodium chlorite. This and related salts are sometimes used in the production of chlorine dioxide.
On the other hand, if a chemical is a weak acid its conjugate base will not necessarily be strong. Consider that ethanoate, the conjugate base of ethanoic acid, has a base splitting constant (Kb) of about 5.6 × 10 −10, making it a weak base. In order for a species to have a strong conjugate base it has to be a very weak acid, like water.
For example, pK a for HClO is 7.2, for HClO 2 is 2.0, for HClO 3 is −1 and HClO 4 is a strong acid (pK a ≪ 0). [7] The increased acidity on adding an oxo group is due to stabilization of the conjugate base by delocalization of its negative charge over an additional oxygen atom. [ 47 ]
H 2 O is a base because it accepts a proton from CH 3 COOH and becomes its conjugate acid, the hydronium ion, (H 3 O +). [9] The reverse of an acid–base reaction is also an acid–base reaction, between the conjugate acid of the base in the first reaction and the conjugate base of the acid.
An acid–base reaction is, thus, the removal of a hydrogen ion from the acid and its addition to the base. [21] The removal of a hydrogen ion from an acid produces its conjugate base, which is the acid with a hydrogen ion removed. The reception of a proton by a base produces its conjugate acid, which is the base with a hydrogen ion added.
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It provides strong acidity with minimal interference because perchlorate is weakly nucleophilic (explaining the high acidity of HClO 4). Other acids of noncoordinating anions, such as fluoroboric acid and hexafluorophosphoric acid are susceptible to hydrolysis, whereas perchloric acid is not.