Oxidation state of each CI in `CaOCI_(2)` is / are

Options

A. 0
B. `+1`
C. `-1`
D. `+1,-1`

Explanation

To determine the oxidation state of each chlorine atom in \( \text{Ca(OCl}_2) \), we can follow these steps:

### Step 1: Identify the oxidation states of other elements in the compound.
In \( \text{Ca(OCl}_2) \):
- Calcium (Ca) is an alkaline earth metal and typically has an oxidation state of \( +2 \).
- Oxygen (O) usually has an oxidation state of \( -2 \).

### Step 2: Set up the equation for the overall charge of the compound.
The compound \( \text{Ca(OCl}_2) \) is neutral, so the sum of the oxidation states must equal zero. We can express this as:
\[ \text{Oxidation state of Ca} + \text{Oxidation state of O} + 2 \times \text{Oxidation state of Cl} = 0 \]

### Step 3: Plug in the known oxidation states.
Substituting the known values into the equation:
\[ +2 + (-2) + 2 \times \text{Oxidation state of Cl} = 0 \]

### Step 4: Simplify the equation.
This simplifies to:
\[ 0 + 2 \times \text{Oxidation state of Cl} = 0 \]

### Step 5: Solve for the oxidation state of chlorine (Cl).
This implies:
\[ 2 \times \text{Oxidation state of Cl} = 0 \]
\[ \text{Oxidation state of Cl} = 0 \]

### Step 6: Determine the oxidation states of the two chlorine atoms.
Since there are two chlorine atoms in \( \text{Ca(OCl}_2) \), we need to consider that they can have different oxidation states. In this case, one chlorine atom is in the hypochlorite ion (OCl\(^-\)), which has an oxidation state of \( -1 \), while the other chlorine atom is in the same ion but is effectively neutral when considering the whole compound.

### Conclusion:
The oxidation state of each chlorine atom in \( \text{Ca(OCl}_2) \) is \( -1 \).