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Chapter 16: Problem 111

When chlorine reacts with water, the resulting solution is weakly acidic and reacts with \(\mathrm{AgNO}_{3}\) to give a white precipitate. Write balanced equations to represent these reactions. Explain why manufacturers of household bleaches add bases such as \(\mathrm{NaOH}\) to their products to increase their effectiveness.

Short Answer

Expert verified
Chemical equations: \( \mathrm{Cl}_{2} + \mathrm{H}_{2}\mathrm{O} \to \mathrm{HOCl} + \mathrm{HCl} \), \( \mathrm{HOCl} + \mathrm{AgNO}_{3} \to \mathrm{AgCl} + \mathrm{HNO}_{3} \), and \( \mathrm{HOCl} + \mathrm{NaOH} \to \mathrm{NaOCl} + \mathrm{H}_{2}\mathrm{O} \). Bases like NaOH increase bleach effectiveness by converting weak acid into a more efficient bleaching agent.

Step by step solution

01

Writing the balanced chemical equations

First, understand that when chlorine reacts with water, hypochlorous acid and hydrochloric acid are formed. The balanced equation for this reaction is: \( \mathrm{Cl}_{2} + \mathrm{H}_{2}\mathrm{O} \to \mathrm{HOCl} + \mathrm{HCl} \). The hypochlorous acid then reacts with silver nitrate to give silver chloride (the white precipitate) and nitric acid. The balanced equation for this reaction is: \( \mathrm{HOCl} + \mathrm{AgNO}_{3} \to \mathrm{AgCl} + \mathrm{HNO}_{3} \).
02

Understanding the role of bases in enhancing bleach effectiveness

Now, the second part of the question requires understanding of a different chemical process. Bases such as sodium hydroxide (NaOH) are added to manufacturers' bleach products because they convert hypochlorous acid (weak acid) into hypochlorite ions, which is a much more effective bleaching agent due to its better stability and increased oxidizing power. This process can be represented by the balanced equation: \( \mathrm{HOCl} + \mathrm{NaOH} \to \mathrm{NaOCl} + \mathrm{H}_{2}\mathrm{O} \).

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Most popular questions from this chapter

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