Phosphorous forms a number of oxoacids. Out of these oxoacids phosphinic acid has strong reducing property. Write its structure and also write a reaction showing its reducing behavior.

Open in App

Solution

Phosphinic acid (Hypophosphorous acid ) is an oxoacid of phosphorus with chemical formula $H_{3} P O_{2}$ , and phosphorus exists in +1 oxidation state in $H_{3} P O_{2}$ .

Phosphinic acid is a strong reducing agent, which implies that it readily reduces others and gets oxidised itself.

1. Reactions of phosphinic acid where it acts as reducing agent are:
$H_{3} P O_{2}$ reacts with silver nitrate $(A g N O_{3})$ such that it gets oxidized to phosphoric acid and reduces silver nitrate to silver metal.
$4 A g N O_{3} + H_{3} P O_{2} + 2 H_{2} O$
$↓$
$4 A g + H_{3} P O_{4} + 4 H N O_{3}$

2. $H_{3} P O_{2}$ reacts with $l_{2}$ and reduces mercury chloride to mercury metal.
$2 H g C l_{2} + H_{3} P O_{2} + 2 H_{2} O$
$↓$
$2 H g + H_{3} P O_{4} + 4 H C l$

Additional information:
Phosphorus forms a number of oxoacids as mentioned below:

1. Hypophosphorous acid $(H_{3} P O_{2})$
2. Orthophosphorus acid $(H_{3} P O_{3})$
3. Orthophosphoric acid $(H_{3} P O_{4})$
4. Pyrophosphorous $(H_{4} P_{2} O_{5})$
5. Hypophosphoric acid $(H_{4} P_{2} O_{6})$
6. Pyrophosphoric acid $(H_{4} P_{2} O_{7})$
7. Metaphosphoric acid $([H P O_{3}]_{n})$

Suggest Corrections

Similar questions

Join BYJU'S Learning Program

Explore more

Join BYJU'S Learning Program