Formation, Stability and Reactions
Addition of chlorine to water gives both hydrochloric acid (HCl) and hypochlorous acid:
- Cl2 + H2O HClO + HCl
When acids are added to aqueous salts of hypochlorous acid (such as sodium hypochlorite in commercial bleach solution), the resultant reaction is driven to the left, and chlorine gas is evolved. Thus, the formation of stable hypochlorite bleaches is facilitated by dissolving chlorine gas into basic water solutions, such as sodium hydroxide.
The acid can also be prepared by dissolving dichlorine monoxide in water; under standard aqueous conditions, anhydrous hypochlorous acid is impossible to prepare due to the readily reversible equilibrium between it and its anhydride:
- 2 HOCl Cl2O + H2O K(0°C) = 3.55×10−3 dm3mol−1
The presence of light or transition metal oxides of copper, nickel, or cobalt accelerates the exothermic decomposition into hydrochloric acid and oxygen:
- 2 Cl2 + 2 H2O → 4 HCl + O2
Read more about this topic: Hypochlorous Acid
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