[Twoacross]

so this was the question i was given:

"Mixing household chemicals can be extremely dangerous to one's health. For example, mixing bleach (sodium hypochlorite) with toilet bowl cleaner (HCl) is especially dangerous since this reaction produces water and highly toxic chlorine gas. Write the balanced equation for this reaction. Label the oxidizing and reducing agents"

So first off, my equation looks like this:

NaClO (aq) + 2HCl => Cl2 (g) + H2O (l) + NaCl (aq) (Correct me if wrong!)

so my initial answers were that chlorine was a reducing agent, sodium as a oxidizing agent since it changed from +3 to +1, oxygen as neither.

Im going to double check but all help is greatly appreciated!

[rabolisk]

Your balanced equation is correct.

However, your answers are not right. It makes no sense to say that chlorine was a reducing agent, since the reducing agent has to be either NaClO or HCl, not just the element chlorine. Although we look at the oxidation number of elements to determine the reducing and oxidizing agent, it is the entire species that can be properly called reducing or oxidizing agent. Finally, sodium will never have +3 oxidation state.

[skbuncks]

Whilst your overall equations is correct everything else you have written is wrong. To understand why you will be best served by attempting to write the half equations for the oxidising agent and reducing agent.

To start you off...


ClO^- + ?? + ?? = ?? + H₂O
HCl = ?? + ?? + ??


skb