AIIMS 2000 Chemistry Reducing Agents MCQ Question
Assertion: Formic acid reduces mercuric chloride to mercurous chloride on heating, while acetic acid does not.
Reason: Formic acid is stronger than acetic acid.
Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
A is true but R is false.
A is false but R is true.
Correct Answer
Detailed Explanation
The assertion states that formic acid reduces mercuric chloride (HgCl2) to mercurous chloride (Hg2Cl2) upon heating, while acetic acid does not. This is true because formic acid (HCOOH) is a stronger reducing agent compared to acetic acid (CH3COOH). The reduction reaction can be represented as follows:
In contrast, acetic acid is not strong enough to facilitate this reduction. Therefore, while both statements are true, the reason provided (R) does not explain why acetic acid does not reduce mercuric chloride, making option B the correct choice.
Options A and C are incorrect because they imply that R is a correct explanation, which it is not, and option D incorrectly states that A is false. Thus, the correct answer is B.
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