Question

What products are expected from the disproportionation reaction of hypochlorous acid?

Answer 1

Hint :A disproportionation reaction occurs when a compound undergoes both oxidation and reduction. Dismutation is another name for the disproportionation reaction. The Cannizzaro reaction is an example of a disproportionation reaction in organic chemistry.

Complete Step By Step Answer:
As chlorine dissolves in water, hypochlorous acid forms, which then partly dissociates to form hypochlorite. Oxidizers \[{\text{HClO}}\] and ${\text{Cl}}{{\text{O}}^{\text{ - }}}$ are the principal disinfection agents in chlorine solutions. Due to rapid equilibration with its predecessor, hypochlorous acid cannot be isolated from these solutions.
In a redox reaction, the species is oxidised and reduced at the same time, yielding at least two separate compounds.
The procedure for disproportioning hypochlorous acid is as follows:
\[{\text{3HOCl}}\,\, \to \,\,{\text{2HCl}}\,\,{\text{ + }}\,\,{\text{HCl}}{{\text{O}}_{\text{3}}}\]
It is a hypochlorous acid disproportionation reaction in which the chlorine oxidation number goes from $ + 1$ to $ - 1$. The higher the oxidation number, the greater the effective nuclear charge and the smaller the size.
${\text{Cl}}$ has oxidation numbers of $ + 1,\, - 1,$ and $ + 5$ in ${\text{HOCl,}}\,{\text{HCl}}$ and ${\text{HCl}}{{\text{O}}_{\text{3}}}$respectively.
As a result, the chlorine is oxidised and reduced at the same time in this reaction.
The products expected from the disproportionation reaction of hypochlorous acid are ${\text{HCl}}$and ${\text{HCl}}{{\text{O}}_{\text{3}}}$

Additional Information:
The element undergoing disproportionation must have at least three different oxidation states, and it must be less stable in a particular oxidation state from which it can be both oxidised and reduced to more stable oxidation states.

Note :
The pervasive existence of redox reactions exists in a wide variety of chemical reactions found in basic life functions, from daily chemical reactions to industrial processes. The vast majority of such reactions can be categorised based on their rate of occurrence. Combustion is an example of a redox reaction that takes place very quickly and produces heat and light. Corrosion, decay, and various biological processes, on the other hand, occur at such a slow rate that no visible heat or light is emitted.