Question

What is the formal charge of chlorine in chloric acid HClO₃? No expanded octet, note formal charges are zero (0) or x or -x, where x is a number.

a) +2
b) -2
c) +1
d) -1

Answer 1

The formal charge of chlorine (Cl) in chloric acid (HClO₃) is +5. Option A is the correct answer.

Step-by-step explanation:

The formal charge of chlorine (Cl) in chloric acid (HClO₃) can be determined by considering the oxidation numbers of each element in the compound.

1. Chlorine (Cl) is in group 7A of the periodic table, so its normal oxidation number is -1.
2. Oxygen (O) is in group 6A and typically has an oxidation number of -2.
3. Hydrogen (H) is in group 1A and has an oxidation number of +1.

To calculate the formal charge of chlorine in HClO₃, we need to assign oxidation numbers to each element.

1. The oxidation number of hydrogen (H) in HClO₃ is +1. Since there is only one hydrogen atom, the total contribution to the formal charge is +1.
2. Since oxygen (O) typically has an oxidation number of -2, and there are three oxygen atoms in HClO₃, the total contribution to the formal charge is -6 (3 * -2).
3. To determine the formal charge of chlorine (Cl), we subtract the sum of the formal charges of the other atoms from the overall charge of the compound. In this case, the overall charge is 0.
4. Therefore, the formal charge of chlorine (Cl) in HClO₃ is +5 (-6 + 1).

Thus, the correct answer is (a) +2, as the formal charge of chlorine in chloric acid HClO₃ is +5.