Question

Weird reaction question

Answer 1

The question goes with: For the reaction of chlorine with water: Write a balanced chemical equation.

The answer that I wrote: 2Cl2+2H2O = 4HCl + O2

The real answer is: Cl2 + H2O = HCl + HOCl

Is my answer unacceptable? But the equation is balanced. I've never seen HOCl before.

Answer 2

Well, water loses a proton not both its protons. Hydrogen bonding is pretty strong so it won't easily lose both hydrogen.

H2O will dissociate into H+ and OH-

Answer 3

Although you won't have only OH- alone

Answer 4

It might be in NaOH or something

Answer 5

@abb0t is correct, the likelihood of water to lose both its protons is pretty small. What you have is essentially a double-displacement reaction, where Cl-Cl and H-OH swap partners. Imagine for a second that the molecules have the following partial charges:
\[Cl^{(+)}-Cl^{(-)} + H^{(+)}-OH^{(-)} \rightarrow (H-Cl) + (HO-Cl)\]

Answer 6

Hmm, I've never consider these into account, I just balance it only, lol. So you have to think in terms of bondings and intermolecular forces and balancing charges too right?

Answer 7

Oh chlorine can be +1 too. so HO- Cl+

Answer 8

this is a more difficult equation than i would usually give someone to predict the products, but yes, you have to think of the pieces that each reactant has, and then how those pieces could be rearranged to form the products and if those products are even a) realistic, or b) stable

Answer 9

That's more difficult than I think, that's why sometimes I don't get the correct equations, haha.