Multiple Choice
Which of the following is the correct chemical formula for chlorous acid?
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3. Chemical Reactions
Naming Acids
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Which of the following is the correct chemical formula for phosphorous acid?
A
H3PO4
B
H3PO3
C
HPO3
D
H2PO3
Verified step by step guidance1
Understand that phosphorous acid is an oxyacid of phosphorus where phosphorus is in the +3 oxidation state, not +5 as in phosphoric acid (H3PO4).
Recall that the general formula for oxyacids is based on the central atom, the number of oxygen atoms, and the number of acidic hydrogens (hydrogens bonded to oxygen that can dissociate).
Recognize that phosphorous acid has the formula H3PO3, which means it contains three hydrogens, one phosphorus, and three oxygens.
Note that in H3PO3, two of the hydrogens are bonded to oxygen atoms (acidic hydrogens), and one hydrogen is directly bonded to phosphorus (non-acidic hydrogen), which is characteristic of phosphorous acid.
Compare the given options and identify that H3PO3 matches the correct formula for phosphorous acid, while H3PO4 is phosphoric acid, HPO3 is metaphosphoric acid, and H2PO3 is not a standard formula for phosphorous acid.
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