bp's science: how does bleach work? (v.1)

So how does chlorine bleach get out nasty stains? Hmm, well we've got to do a bit of chemistry to explain it. Well we don't have to, but how long has it been since you've dabbled in chemical equations? That's what I thought.

Chlorine gas is made easily from table salt. You heard me, table salt. Table salt is sodium chloride (NaCl) and when it reacts with water (H₂O), it creates chlorine gas (Cl₂). Now if you put salt in water and stirred it, this reaction would not occur. If it did, none of us would be swimming in the ocean. You need electric energy for the following reaction to happen:

2NaCl + H₂O Cl₂ + H₂ + 2NaOH

To make bleach, the stuff you buy and the compound in bold letters, you must use the stuff you made above and:

NaOH + Cl₂ NaOCl + HCl

Now, once you pour that stuff in your washer or put it on a cloth and scrub your striped shirt with it to get out ink (thereby ruining your shirt - we've had that happen in our household) the chlorine is reacting to create atomic oxygen.

NaOCl + H₂O HCl + NaOH + O

**By the way, cheers to those of you who have had the patience and made it this far.**

Apparently, atomic oxygen is highly corrosive and it changes the molecular structure of a chromophore, the chemical compound that creates color. When the molecular structure is changed, the chromophore no longer reflects color. Good bye stain.

see here and here for a discussion on bleach, and blame me for the final reaction...