Question

Hydrogen Chloride gas reacts with water to produce an acidic solution. The equation for the reaction is shown.
\[{\text{HCl + }}{{\text{H}}_{\text{2}}}{\text{O}} \to {\text{C}}{{\text{l}}^{\text{ - }}}{\text{ + }}{{\text{H}}_{\text{3}}}{{\text{O}}^{\text{ + }}}\]
Which statement describes what happens during the reaction?
A.The chloride ion is formed by accepting an electron from the water.
B.The hydrogen chloride loses an electron to form the chloride ion
C.The water accepts a proton from the hydrogen chloride
D.The water donates a proton to the hydrogen chloride

Answer 1

Hint: The reaction of hydrogen chloride results in the formation of hydrochloric acid. In this reaction the hydrogen ion is released as the proton and chloride ion is also released.

Complete Step by step Solution:
The hydrogen chloride is a covalent molecule with a difference of electronegativity between the hydrogen and the chlorine atoms. Due to this the hydrogen atom of the molecule is electron deficient. Hence it has an affinity for the lone pair of electrons on the oxygen atom of the water molecules. So, in their presence the covalent bond breaks and the hydrogen ions form the hydronium ions while the chlorine atom takes the electron pair and leaves with it forming the chloride anion.
So the third statement is correct, i.e., the water accepts a proton from the hydrogen chloride.

So, the correct answer is option C.

Notes: An acid is a substance that releases protons in the medium to form hydronium ions as the only positive ion. The acid molecules release the proton that accepts the electron pair from the nearby water molecules to form the hydronium ions.