Hydrochloric acid (HCl) is a strong acid and potassium permanganate (KMnO4) is a crystalline salt. Let us discuss some interesting facts about the HCl and KMnO4 reactions.
Hydrochloric acid is also called muriatic acid. Being a strong acid, it dissolves in water and dissociates into H+ and Cl‑ ions, respectively. It appears in liquid form and has a molar mass of 36.458 g/mol. KMnO4 is also known as permanganate of potash. It dissolves in water and dissociates into K+ and MnO4– ions.
In this article, we will focus on the various aspects of the “HCl + KMnO4” reaction, like the product, type of reaction, balancing the reaction, etc.
What is the product of HCl and KMnO4?
Hydrochloric acid (HCl) reacts with potassium permanganate (KMnO4) to produce potassium chloride (KCl), manganous chloride (MnCl2), chlorine (Cl2), and water (H2O) as the by-product.
2KMnO4 + 16HCl → 2KCl + 2MnCl2 + 8H2O + 5Cl2
What type of reaction is HCl + KMnO4?
HCl + KMnO4 is a redox reaction. Because, in this reaction, KMnO4 is an oxidant, which oxidizes HCl to Cl2 by reducing itself to MnCl2. The oxidation state of Mn reduces from +7 to +2.
How to balance HCl + KMnO4?
To balance the equation, follow the following steps:
Step 1: Identify the atoms
At first, identify the atoms participating in the reaction. In this case, the atoms are K, Mn, O, H, and Cl.
Step 2: Find the coefficient of the atoms
The coefficients of the atoms or compounds involved in the reaction must be found and changed to balance the equation.
Step 3: Balance the reaction
To get a balanced equation, the coefficients of the atoms or compounds should be the same on both sides of the reaction.
After following the above-mentioned steps, the final reaction is as follows
2KMnO4 + 16HCl → 2KCl + 2MnCl2 + 8H2O + 5Cl2
HCl + KMnO4 titration
HCl and KMnO4 cannot be titrated together, as HCl will react with KMnO4 to produce Cl2. Further, Cl2 will interfere in the titration.
HCl + KMnO4 net ionic equation
The overall reaction is split into ionic reactions, where the reactants are shown into their respective ions. Further, all the ionic reactions are balanced. This can be explained by the following reaction.
HCl + KMnO4 conjugate pairs
HCl, being an acid, has a conjugate base. But KMnO4 being an oxidant does not have any conjugate pair.
HCl and KMnO4 intermolecular forces
- The intermolecular forces present between two molecules of HCl are London dispersion forces and dipole-dipole interactions.
- In KMnO4, the intermolecular force present between two molecules is the ion-dipole force.
HCl + KMnO4 reaction enthalpy
The enthalpy of the reaction HCl + KMnO4 cannot be predicted.
Is HCl + KMnO4 a buffer solution?
The buffer solution for these two solutes is not possible because HCl is not a weak acid. For buffer solution, the combination of a weak acid and its conjugate base is required.
Is HCl + KMnO4 a complete reaction?
HCl + KMnO4 is a complete redox reaction.
Is HCl + KMnO4 an exothermic or endothermic reaction?
It is not possible to predict whether HCl + KMnO4 reaction is exothermic or endothermic.
Is HCl + KMnO4 a redox reaction?
HCl + KMnO4 is a redox reaction, where KMnO4 is reduced and HCl is oxidized.
Is HCl + KMnO4 a precipitation reaction?
HCl + KMnO4 is not a precipitation reaction because no precipitate formation takes place in this reaction.
Is HCl + KMnO4 irreversible reaction?
HCl + KMnO4 is an irreversible reaction.
Is HCl + KMnO4 displacement reaction?
HCl + KMnO4 is not a displacement reaction.
Conclusion
Thus, the HCl + KMnO4 reaction is a feasible reaction forming KCl, and MnO2, along with the liberation of Cl2 gas. KMnO4 is the oxidizing agent, which oxidizes HCl. HCl and KMnO4 cannot be used together in titration, as they will dissociate.
Hello! I am Debashruti Bandyopadhyay. I have completed my Ph.D. in Chemistry from NISER Bhubaneswar. My area of research is synthetic organic chemistry. I have worked as a student coordinator and SME for a startup for 5 months. Presently, I am working as a Subject Matter Expert in LambdaGeeks.