CaOC{{l}_{2}} (bleaching powder) has two types of chlorine with different oxidation numbers. The sum of the oxidation numbers is ?

The oxidation number of an element in a compound represents the charge that element would have if the compound were ionic. In bleaching powder (calcium hypochlorite, CaOCl2), the oxidation number of calcium (Ca) is +2 since it is an alkaline earth metal and tends to lose two electrons to achieve a stable configuration.

To determine the oxidation numbers of the chlorine atoms (Cl) in CaOCl2, we can consider the overall charge of the compound and the oxidation number of calcium.

The compound has no overall charge, which means the sum of the oxidation numbers of all the elements in the compound must be zero. Since calcium has an oxidation number of +2, the sum of the oxidation numbers of the chlorine atoms must be -2 to balance it out.

Let's assume the oxidation number of one chlorine atom is x. Therefore, the sum of the oxidation numbers of the two chlorine atoms is 2x.

From the equation: +2 + 2x = 0, we can solve for x:

2x = -2
x = -1

So the oxidation number of each chlorine atom in CaOCl2 is -1. Therefore, the correct answer is (D) -1, -2.