Formula HBrO2 | Molar mass 112.911 g/mol | |
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Bromous acid meaning
Bromous acid is an acid with the formula HBrO2. It has bromine in the +3 oxidation state. The salts of bromous acid are called bromites. The acid is not stable and only occurs as an intermediate; for example, in the oxidation of hypobromites.
Contents
Chemistry
Bromous acid can be produced by classical chemical or electrochemicals method via anodic oxidation.
HBrO + HClO → HBrO2 + HClAlso disproportioning of hypobromous acid will give bromous acid and hydrobromic acid.
2 HBrO → HBrO2 + HBrLastly, a synproportion reaction of bromic acid and hydrobromic acid gives bromous acid.
2 HBrO3 + HBr → 3 HBrO2Compounds
Several bromites are stable and have been isolated. For example, NaBrO2· 3H2O and Ba(BrO2)2·H2O.
Use
Bromites can be used for the reduction of permanganates to manganates.
2MnO−4 + BrO−
2 + OH− → 2MnO2−
4 + BrO−
3 + H2O
References
Bromous acid Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA