Sodium Hypochlorite Formula

Sodium Hypochlorite Formula

Sodium Hypochlorite Formula is a substance that is a commonly used chemical compound because one of its most common use of the compound is as a bleaching agent and disinfectant. These are very important uses because the Sodium Hypochlorite Formula can kill any microorganisms. Sodium Hypochlorite Formula is also known as sodium oxychloride by many people. The chemical compound of the Sodium Hypochlorite Formula can be described to be simply a sodium salt that has hypochlorite as a counterion attached to it. The Sodium Hypochlorite Formula is the same as the sodium oxychloride formula and many people can call it that interchangeably.

What is Sodium Hypochlorite?

Sodium oxychloride is the alternative name for Sodium Hypochlorite Formula. The compound is defined as the sodium salt that is formed when the hypochlorous acid is neutralised. The compound contains a cation Na+ that is bonded with the hypochlorite anion which is a negative ion, the hypochlorite chemical formula is (CLO-). The sodium chlorite formula is written as  NaClO. The other way of representing with simplicity the sodium hypochlorite chemical formula is  NaOCl. The IUPAC or the accepted name of sodium oxychloride is sodium hypochlorite.

Sodium Hypochlorite Structure

The chemical compound of Sodium Hypochlorite Formula is commonly known as the bleaching agent and disinfecting agent. The compound completely decomposes into chlorine and the chlorine when it is reacted suitably. This reaction is the basic principle for the compound to be used as a bleaching agent. For more information regarding the same, students can visit the Extramarks educational website.

Preparation of Sodium Hypochlorite

These are the various methods for preparing the compound:

• When simple soda is chlorinated, the process utilised by Claude Louis Berthollet of France. He passed the chlorine gas through potash lye. The chemical reaction taking place is known as the disproportionation reaction. In this reaction, simultaneous oxidation and reduction reactions take place and therefore, it is one of the most interesting reactions.
• Sodium Hypochlorite Formula can be readily prepared from calcium hypochlorite, the reaction involves sodium carbonate with a mixture of calcium hypochlorite Ca(OCl)2, calcium chloride CaCl2, and calcium hydroxide Ca(OH)2.
• Electrolysis when done with brine, which is basically another name for a simple salt solution, is a chemical reaction that involves electrolysis of brine to produce sodium hydroxide and chlorine gas. The products are then mixed with each other properly and this finally generates to form sodium hypochlorite.
• The production of sodium hypochlorite can also be produced from hypochlorous acid and soda.

Properties of Sodium Hypochlorite – NaClO

The Sodium Hypochlorite Formula can be represented with great ease as NaClO or it even has an alternative way of representation where it can be called Sodium Hypochlorite Formula is NaOCl.

Chemical Properties of the Compound

The chemical properties of the Sodium Hypochlorite Formula include the sodium hypochlorite solution formula, sodium hypochlorite molecular weight, reactions, hydrogen bond donor and acceptor, and the complexity of the compound. The common chemical properties of the compounds

1. The molecular weight of the Sodium Hypochlorite Formula is 74.442 g/mol
2. Sodium Hypochlorite Formula solution formula is also represented as NaClO
3. The Sodium Hypochlorite Formula is characterised as a highly unstable compound.
4. Sodium Hypochlorite Formula decomposes and releases chlorine thus making the base for chlorine-based disinfectant.
5. The hydrogen bond donor count is 0 for the Sodium Hypochlorite Formula whereas the hydrogen bond acceptor count for the compound is 1.
6. The density of the Sodium Hypochlorite Formulas is 4.8.
7. The acidity or pKa value of the Sodium Hypochlorite Formula is 7.5185
8. The basicity or the pKb value of the Sodium Hypochlorite Formula is 6.4815.

Physical Properties of Sodium Hypochlorite

Some of the properties of the compound are mentioned below.

1. The melting point of sodium hypochlorite is 18 °C
2. The boiling point of the Sodium Hypochlorite Formula is 101 °C
3. The density of the Sodium Hypochlorite Formula is 1.11 g/cm3
4. The physical appearance of the Sodium Hypochlorite Formula is as a greenish-yellow colour crystal
5. The smell of the Sodium Hypochlorite Formula can be described as a sweetish, chlorine-like smell.
6. The density of the Sodium Hypochlorite Formula is 1.11 g/cm3
7. The compound is soluble at a rate of 29.3 g/100mL.

Uses of Sodium hypochlorite (NaClO)

There are various preparative methods of sodium oxychloride. The first commercial production of Sodium Hypochlorite Formula took place in 1798, the compound was first prepared by Claude Louis Berthollet of France. The process was based on the passing of chlorine gas through the solution of the potash which is lye. The Sodium Hypochlorite Formula is industrially synthesized using a system called Hooker’s process.