Ncert Exercises & Solutions

Why is HCl not used to make the medium acidic in oxidation reactions of $K M n O_{4}$ in acidic medium?

1.	Both HCl and KMnO₄ act as oxidising agents
2.	KMnO₄ oxidises HCl into Cl₂, which is also an oxidising agent
3.	KMnO₄ is a weaker oxidising agent than HCl
4.	KMnO₄ acts as a reducing agent in the presence of HCl

HCl is not used to make the medium acidic in oxidation reactions of

K M n O_{4}

in acidic medium. The reason is that if HCl is used, the oxygen produced from

K M n O_{4}

+ HCl is partly utilised in oxidising HCI to Cl₂ , which itself acts as an oxidising agent and partly oxidises the reducing agent.