Chemistry Q136 – AP-EAMCET 2026

Home Chemistry Periodicity & ElementsQuestion #494

Hydrolysis of chlorine nitrate gives oxoacid of chlorine

X

and oxoacid of nitrogen

Y

. The oxidation states of

C l

X

N

Y

are respectively

Clue 1 of 3: Chemical Reactions

Understand that hydrolysis involves the reaction of a compound with water, typically leading to the breaking of bonds and formation of new compounds.

🧠 Full Solution Path

Step 1: Identify the reactant and reaction type✦ Active

The reactant is chlorine nitrate. The most common form of chlorine nitrate is $C l O N O_{2}$ . The reaction type is hydrolysis, which means it reacts with water ( $H_{2} O$ ). The hydrolysis of chlorine nitrate involves breaking the $C l - O$ and $O - N$ bonds, leading to the formation of an oxoacid of chlorine and an oxoacid of nitrogen.

💡 Teacher's Secret Hint

Be careful with the formula for chlorine nitrate. While $N O_{2} C l O_{4}$ (nitryl perchlorate) also contains chlorine, nitrogen, and oxygen, $C l O N O_{2}$ is the more common compound referred to as 'chlorine nitrate' in hydrolysis contexts.

Step 2: Determine the hydrolysis products○ Expand

The hydrolysis reaction of chlorine nitrate ( $C l O N O_{2}$ ) with water ( $H_{2} O$ ) produces hypochlorous acid ( $H O C l$ ) as the oxoacid of chlorine ( $X$ ) and nitric acid ( $H N O_{3}$ ) as the oxoacid of nitrogen ( $Y$ ). The balanced chemical equation is:

C l O N O_{2} + H_{2} O \to H O C l + H N O_{3}

💡 Teacher's Secret Hint

Remember that oxoacids generally contain hydrogen, oxygen, and at least one other element, with hydrogen bonded to oxygen.

Step 3: Calculate the oxidation state of Chlorine in X (

H O C l

)○ Expand

In hypochlorous acid ( $H O C l$ ), we assign standard oxidation states: $H = + 1$ and $O = - 2$ . Let the oxidation state of $C l$ be $x$ . The sum of oxidation states in a neutral compound is zero.

H + C l + O = 0

(+ 1) + x + (- 2) = 0

x - 1 = 0

x = + 1

So, the oxidation state of $C l$ in $X$ ( $H O C l$ ) is $+ 1$ .

💡 Teacher's Secret Hint

Always remember the common oxidation states for hydrogen ( $+ 1$ ) and oxygen ( $- 2$ ) when calculating for other elements in neutral compounds.

Step 4: Calculate the oxidation state of Nitrogen in Y (

H N O_{3}

)○ Expand

In nitric acid ( $H N O_{3}$ ), we assign standard oxidation states: $H = + 1$ and $O = - 2$ . Let the oxidation state of $N$ be $y$ . The sum of oxidation states in a neutral compound is zero.

H + N + 3 (O) = 0

(+ 1) + y + 3 (- 2) = 0

1 + y - 6 = 0

y - 5 = 0

y = + 5

So, the oxidation state of $N$ in $Y$ ( $H N O_{3}$ ) is $+ 5$ .

💡 Teacher's Secret Hint

Double-check your arithmetic, especially when dealing with multiple oxygen atoms.

Step 5: State the final oxidation states○ Expand

The oxidation states of $C l$ in $X$ ( $H O C l$ ) and $N$ in $Y$ ( $H N O_{3}$ ) are $+ 1$ and $+ 5$ , respectively. Comparing this with the given options, option 3 matches the calculated values.

💡 Teacher's Secret Hint

Always ensure you are identifying the correct elements and their respective compounds ( $X$ and $Y$ ) as specified in the question.

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Chemistry Question 136 – AP-EAMCET 2026

Clue 1 of 3: Chemical Reactions

🧠 Full Solution Path