Sciencemadness Discussion Board
Not logged in [Login ]
Go To Bottom

Printable Version  
 Pages:  1  2
Author: Subject: How come I can smell bleach?
unionised
International Hazard
*****




Posts: 5105
Registered: 1-11-2003
Location: UK
Member Is Offline

Mood: No Mood

[*] posted on 16-11-2009 at 11:41


It's a whole lot more likely that you made NaClO3 (s) than NaOCl (s) that way.
Also you are fairly lucky that the intimate mixture of chlorate and acetate (a fuel) didn't decide to decompose violently.
View user's profile View All Posts By User
bbartlog
International Hazard
*****




Posts: 1139
Registered: 27-8-2009
Location: Unmoored in time
Member Is Offline

Mood: No Mood

[*] posted on 16-11-2009 at 19:00


You may well be right. As for the decomposition, I estimate I started with about 4:1 sodium acetate to sodium hypochlorite, so if the reaction 3NaOCL -> 2NaCl + NaClO3 took place it would still only have given sodium acetate:sodium chloride:sodium chlorate in a 12:2:1 ratio, which sounds... kind of inert. At least in terms of decomposing itself.
It did, however, give off nasty chlorine fumes when I added HCl. If you're right there was probably some ClO2 mixed in there as well. And when I had the bright idea of adding some acetone to try to finish the haloform reaction and get rid of the (presumed) NaOCl, I must have produced some chloroacetone, because that was quite a lachrymatory product. I still have a little (acetone plus I guess chloroacetone) in a jar.
View user's profile View All Posts By User
 Pages:  1  2

  Go To Top