The oxidation number of chlorine (Cl) in hypochlorite (ClO) is +1. In this compound, oxygen is typically assigned an oxidation number of -2. To determine the oxidation number of chlorine, we can use the rule that the sum of the oxidation numbers in a neutral compound must equal zero.
Here’s how the calculation works:
Let the oxidation number of Cl be x. The oxidation number of O is -2. Therefore, we can set up the following equation:
x + (-2) = 0
Solving for x gives:
x – 2 = 0
x = +2
However, this compound is hypochlorite (ClO), not chlorate (ClO3), so we have to correct our thinking.
For ClO, the actual oxidation number of Cl is +1:
Cl: +1
In summary, in the compound hypochlorite (ClO), chlorine has an oxidation number of +1, which is important for understanding its behavior in chemical reactions, particularly in redox reactions.