What is the formal oxidation state of the attacking electrophilic halogen atom during the addition o — Reaction Mechanism Chemistry Question
Question
What is the formal oxidation state of the attacking electrophilic halogen atom during the addition of hypochlorous acid ($HOCl$) to an alkene?
Answer: 1
💡 Solution & Explanation
Hypochlorous acid ($HOCl$) contains an oxygen atom which is more electronegative than the chlorine atom. Because the electron pair of the $O-Cl$ bond is drawn closer to oxygen, the bond cleaves heterolytically to yield $OH^-$ and $Cl^+$. The formal oxidation state of the resulting electrophilic chlorine species ($Cl^+$) is $+1$.
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