hypochlorous acid

American  

noun

1. a weak, unstable acid, HOCl, existing only in solution and in the form of its salts, used as a bleaching agent and disinfectant.

---

hypochlorous acid British  

/ ˌhaɪpəˈklɔːrəs /

noun

1. an unstable acid known only in solution and in the form of its salts, formed when chlorine dissolves in water: a strong oxidizing and bleaching agent. Formula: HOCl

---

hypochlorous acid Scientific  

/ hī′pə-klôr′əs /

1. A weak, unstable acid occurring only in solution and used as a bleach, oxidizer, deodorant, and disinfectant. Chemical formula: HOCl.

---

Etymology

Origin of hypochlorous acid

First recorded in 1835–45

Example Sentences

This disproportionation is incomplete, so chlorine water is an equilibrium mixture of chlorine molecules, hypochlorous acid molecules, hydronium ions, and chloride ions.

From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019

The chlorine reacts with water to form hypochlorous acid, which oxidizes colored substances to colorless ones.

From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019

Based on formal charge considerations, which of the following would likely be the correct arrangement of atoms in hypochlorous acid: HOCl or OClH?

From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019

The wound cleanser is a solution of pure hypochlorous acid, the same compound released during oxidative burst when white blood cells engulf foreign particles as part of the body’s immune response system.

From Scientific American • Sep. 23, 2012

The loss can be explained by the decomposition of hypochlorous acid, in the presence of light, into hydrochloric acid and oxygen. 2HClO = 2HCl + O2 Chlorine Water.

From Chlorination of Water by Race, Joseph