How is chlorine bleach used?

Answer 1

Answer#1

Many cleaning agents and industrial reagents contain chlorine. It is ubiquitous in Swimming Pools, spas as well as municipal water supplies as a sanitizer.

Chlorine is a powerful oxidant. It destroys organic (and many inorganic) compounds (ie. stains) with ease. That is why it's in bleach, to destroy unwanted compounds, be they salmonella bacterium or the ink stains on your lab coat.

It is extremely deadly in its lime green gaseous form. Etymology of the word chlorine is from the Greek khlôros, meaning "pale green". It was used to kill scores during WWI as a component of "mustard gas".

Some of the chemical/physical properties of chlorine include:

• Chlorine is a yellow-green gas at room temperature.
• Chlorine has a pungent, irritating odor similar to bleach that is detectable at concentrations as low as 500ppb.
• The density of chlorine gas is approximately 2.5 times greater than air, which will cause it to initially remain near the ground in areas with little air movement.
• Chlorine is not flammable, but may react explosively or form explosive compounds with many common substances (including hydrochloric acid, acetylene, ether, turpentine, ammonia, natural gas, hydrogen, and finely divided metals).
• Chlorine is slightly water soluble, and reacts with moisture to form hypochlorous acid (HClO) and hydrochloric acid (HCl).
• Chlorine is commonly pressurized and cooled for storage and shipment as an amber-colored liquid.
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