---
title: "A student compares four halogen-containing oxyacids that could be used in an antimicrobial rinse.  | Acid | Structural formula | |——|——————–| | Chlorous acid, \\(\\text{HClO}_2\\) | \\(\\text{H}-\\text{O}-\\text{Cl}=\\text{O}\\) | | Bromous acid, \\(\\text{HBrO}_2\\) | \\(\\text{H}-\\text{O}-\\text{Br}=\\text{O}\\) | | Hypochlorous acid, \\(\\text{HClO}\\) | \\(\\text{H}-\\text{O}-\\text{Cl}\\) | | Hypobromous acid, \\(\\text{HBrO}\\) | \\(\\text{H}-\\text{O}-\\text{Br}\\) |  Which choice ranks the acids from greatest to least acid strength and gives the best justification?"
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url: "https://nerd-notes.com/ubq/119468/"
date_modified: "2026-08-19T12:40:35+00:00"
---

# A student compares four halogen-containing oxyacids that could be used in an antimicrobial rinse.

| Acid | Structural formula |
|——|——————–|
| Chlorous acid, \(\text{HClO}_2\) | \(\text{H}-\text{O}-\text{Cl}=\text{O}\) |
| Bromous acid, \(\text{HBrO}_2\) | \(\text{H}-\text{O}-\text{Br}=\text{O}\) |
| Hypochlorous acid, \(\text{HClO}\) | \(\text{H}-\text{O}-\text{Cl}\) |
| Hypobromous acid, \(\text{HBrO}\) | \(\text{H}-\text{O}-\text{Br}\) |

Which choice ranks the acids from greatest to least acid strength and gives the best justification?

A student compares four halogen-containing oxyacids that could be used in an antimicrobial rinse.

| Acid | Structural formula |
|------|--------------------|
| Chlorous acid, \(\text{HClO}_2\) | \(\text{H}-\text{O}-\text{Cl}=\text{O}\) |
| Bromous acid, \(\text{HBrO}_2\) | \(\text{H}-\text{O}-\text{Br}=\text{O}\) |
| Hypochlorous acid, \(\text{HClO}\) | \(\text{H}-\text{O}-\text{Cl}\) |
| Hypobromous acid, \(\text{HBrO}\) | \(\text{H}-\text{O}-\text{Br}\) |

Which choice ranks the acids from greatest to least acid strength and gives the best justification?

- **A.** \(\text{HBrO}_2 > \text{HClO}_2 > \text{HBrO} > \text{HClO}\), because an additional oxygen atom stabilizes the conjugate base and Br is more electronegative than Cl.
- **B.** \(\text{HClO}_2 > \text{HBrO}_2 > \text{HClO} > \text{HBrO}\), because an additional oxygen atom stabilizes the conjugate base, and Cl withdraws electron density more strongly than Br.
- **C.** \(\text{HClO}_2 > \text{HClO} > \text{HBrO}_2 > \text{HBrO}\), because the electronegativity of the halogen is the dominant factor, so every Cl-containing acid is stronger than every Br-containing acid.
- **D.** \(\text{HClO} > \text{HBrO} > \text{HClO}_2 > \text{HBrO}_2\), because an additional oxygen atom localizes the negative charge in the conjugate base, while Cl is more electronegative than Br.

*The answer key and step-by-step explanation are available to logged-in users at https://nerd-notes.com/ubq/119468/*