Question

Chloral hydrate is broken down in the body after several hours.

One reaction is oxidation to trichloroethanoic acid.
Complete the equation for this reaction below.
Cl3CCH(OH)2 + [O] →

Answer 1

Chloral hydrate is oxidized to form trichloroacetic acid, represented by the equation Cl3CCH(OH)2 + [O] → Cl3CCOOH, reflecting the change of the oxidation state of carbon.

Step-by-step explanation:

The reaction in question involves the oxidation of chloral hydrate (Cl3CCH(OH)2) to trichloroacetic acid (Cl3CCOOH). The oxidation reaction can be represented by the equation:

Cl3CCH(OH)2 + [O] → Cl3CCOOH

This indicates that chloral hydrate undergoes oxidation when it interacts with an oxidizing agent, denoted by [O], to form trichloroacetic acid. As such, oxidation involves the increase of the oxidation state of the central carbon atom from +1 in chloral hydrate to +3 in trichloroacetic acid.