Commercial bleach

Discussion in 'Chemistry' started by John99, Mar 27, 2007.

  1. John99 Banned Banned

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    How is commercial bleach made? I read bleach is made up of components in sea water. Which ones and what other stuff is in there?

    How pure is commercial bleach?

    Do they add soap?

    How safe for humans as far as skin contact and breathing?

    When it dries what is left behind in resultant residue?

    The reason i want to know is because i use it all the time cleaning up after my critters

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    instead of somtehing more toxic.

    Thats all i can think of right now but bleach is the third coolest liquid on the planet, after pure water and sea water- IMHO
     
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  3. Chatha big brown was screwed up Registered Senior Member

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    I can't remember how bleach is made commercially, you can easily look that up. I do know certain elements are automatic bleaching agents, e.g Chlorine, Oxygen, Florine. Very reactive substances are usually good bleaching agents(halogens), depending on what you want to rid off. There are bleaching solutions for jewelry, cloths, graphites, ceramic. You could make soap by simple saponification(fat and base) and add a dash of these bleaching agents.
     
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  5. John99 Banned Banned

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    Should chlorine be on the list ornot?
     
    Last edited: Mar 27, 2007
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  7. Facial Valued Senior Member

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    Bleach is sodium hypochlorite - NaClO, so yes it has elements found in seawater. But I do not know how it is manufactured.

    Household bleach usually has concentrations of around 6% (whether it's mole fraction or weight percentage, I don't know). Other cleaners have lesser concentrations, for example, Tilex is 2% bleach. However, 6% is for all purposes maxed out for antimicrobial uses, and easily starts to infringe upon the safety of humans and their furry friends. These also emit caustic fumes.

    It's better to use a dilute solution instead. The EPA recommends around two drops of ordinary (6%) bleach to one gallon of untreated water to make it drinkable - this would be around the effective limit, with cleaning solutions significantly higher.

    If they added soap, as in sodium tallowate or sodium lauryl/laureth sulfate, you would observe bubbles. I do not recall seeing bubbles in bleach solutions, so I guess there is no soap.
     
    Last edited: Mar 31, 2007
  8. John99 Banned Banned

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    Thanks.
     
  9. Positron Agony: Not all pain is gain Registered Senior Member

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    Just don't mix it with Hydrochloric acid

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    no really don't do it, you will die

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  10. John99 Banned Banned

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    Thanks for the warning, i may have done just that.
     
  11. Positron Agony: Not all pain is gain Registered Senior Member

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    yea, it makes a large amount of chlorine gas, which if breathed will mkae your lungs fill with blood!

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    and if you just breath a little it eats away the mucus membranes in your nose and you die from a nosebleed!
     

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