WRITE THE BALANCED REACTION OF HYPOCHLOROUS ACID, HOCI WATER TO FORM HYDRONIUM ION AND CONJUGATE BASE OF HOCI. IDENTIFY EACH SPECIES AS EITHER AN ACID OR BASE.
HOCl + H2O ==> H3O^+ + OCl^-
acid 1 + base 1.....acid 2 + base 2
HOCl is an acid and OCl^- is the conjugate base.
H2O is the base and H3O^+ is the conjugate acid.
H2O/H3O^+ is one acid/base pair (or if you prefer base/acid pair). How do you know which is the acid and which the base? The one with more H is the acid; the one with fewer H is the base. H2O is the base and H3O^+ is the conjugate acid.
HOCl/OCl^- is the other acid/base pair. HOCl is the acid and OCl^- is the conjugate base.
Note: You may see HOCl ==> H^+ + OCl^- sometimes written as HClO ==> H^+ + ClO^-
Most chemists prefer HOCl BECAUSE it shows H is connected to the O and not the Cl.
The balanced reaction of hypochlorous acid, HClO, with water can be written as follows:
HClO + H2O ⇌ H3O+ + ClO-
In this reaction, HClO acts as an acid and donates a proton (H+) to water, which acts as a base. As a result, hydronium ion (H3O+) is formed. Simultaneously, the conjugate base of HClO, called hypochlorite ion (ClO-), is also formed.
So, to summarize:
- HClO (hypochlorous acid) is an acid.
- H2O (water) is a base.
- H3O+ (hydronium ion) is the conjugate acid.
- ClO- (hypochlorite ion) is the conjugate base of HClO.
To write the balanced reaction of hypochlorous acid (HOCl) reacting with water (H2O) to form hydronium ion (H3O+) and the conjugate base of HOCl (OCl-), we can follow these steps:
Step 1: Identify the acid and base in the reaction.
HOCl donates a proton (H+) to water (H2O), so HOCl acts as an acid, and water acts as a base.
Step 2: Write the dissociation of HOCl.
HOCl(aq) → H+(aq) + OCl-(aq)
Step 3: Write the reaction between H+(aq) and H2O.
H+(aq) + H2O(l) → H3O+(aq)
Step 4: Combine the equations.
HOCl(aq) + H2O(l) → H3O+(aq) + OCl-(aq)
Finally, the balanced reaction is:
HOCl(aq) + H2O(l) → H3O+(aq) + OCl-(aq)
In this balanced reaction:
- HOCl is the acid, as it donates a proton (H+).
- H2O is the base, as it accepts a proton (H+).
- H3O+ is the hydronium ion, formed as a result of the reaction between H+ and H2O.
- OCl- is the conjugate base of HOCl, formed after the donation of H+.
Please note that the reaction is not in pure water and is in aqueous solution.