JEE Main · 2023 · 24 Jan 2023 · Shift 2 · Hydrogen

Hydrogen peroxide behaves as a reducing agent when its oxygen, at oxidation state $-1$, is raised to $0$ in ${\mathrm{O}}_2$. In the reaction $\mathrm{HOCl}+{\mathrm{H}}_2{\mathrm{O}}_2\to {\mathrm{H}}_3{\mathrm{O}}^{+}+\mathrm{C}{\mathrm{l}}^{-}+{\mathrm{O}}_2$ the peroxide oxygen is oxidised to dioxygen while the chlorine of $\mathrm{HOCl}$ falls from $+1$ to $-1$. Because the peroxide supplies the electrons that reduce chlorine, here it functions as the reducing agent.