HClO vs. HClO2

[Kaitlin Joya 1I]

HClO2 is stronger because the additional O atom attached to the Cl atom helps to pull the electron of the H atom out of the H-O bond. I do not understand what this means. Why does it help to pull the electron out of the bond?

[AlexandriaHunt2J]

Hi! As mentioned in lecture, one property that makes acids strong is that the resulting anion is stable: for example, due to electron-withdrawing atoms that delocalize and stabilize the negative charge. HClO2 has one additional oxygen atom as compared to HClO, and oxygen is an electronegative atom. The presence of an extra oxygen atom means that the distribution of negative charge is spread over two oxygens rather than just one, which stabilizes the anion and makes ClO2- more stable than ClO-.

[Kaira Shibata 1E]

This just means that when an additional O is added, there is another electronegative atom on the compound. Because this O is electronegative and bonded to the Cl, the electron density is being pulled from the lesser electronegative H on the other side of the central chlorine atom.

[Talia Tam 3L]

HClO2 is stronger because once it loses H, there are two oxygen atoms that can share the negative charge, rather than just one. This makes the resulting anion more stable.