Potassium hypochlorite

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Potassium hypochlorite
Potassium hypochlorite.svg
Potassium-3D.png
Hypochlorite-3D-vdW.png
Names
IUPAC name
Potassium hypochlorite
Other names
  • Hypochlorous acid, potassium salt (1:1) [1]
  • Potassium chloroxide
Identifiers
3D model (JSmol)
ChemSpider
ECHA InfoCard 100.029.008 OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
EC Number
  • 231-909-2
PubChem CID
UNII
UN number 1791
  • InChI=1/ClO.K/c1-2;/q-1;+1
    Key: SATVIFGJTRRDQU-UHFFFAOYAH
  • [K+].[O-]Cl
Properties
KOCl
Molar mass 90.55 g·mol−1
AppearanceColorless liquid (light yellow when impure) (aqueous solution) [1]
Odor Pungent irritating chlorine-like (aqueous solution) [1]
Density 1.160 g/cm3
Melting point −2 °C (28 °F; 271 K)
Boiling point 102 °C (216 °F; 375 K) (decomposes)
25%[ clarification needed ]
Pharmacology
D08 ( WHO )
Hazards
GHS labelling:
GHS-pictogram-exclam.svg GHS-pictogram-pollu.svg
Warning
H336, H411
P261, P271, P273, P304+P340, P312, P391, P403+P233, P405, P501
Safety data sheet (SDS) MSDS
Related compounds
Other anions
Other cations
Related compounds
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).

Potassium hypochlorite is a chemical compound with the chemical formula K O Cl , also written as KClO. It is the potassium salt of hypochlorous acid. It consists of potassium cations (K+) and hypochlorite anions (OCl). It is used in variable concentrations, often diluted in water solution. Its aqueous solutions are colorless liquids (light yellow when impure) that have a strong chlorine smell. [1] It is used as a biocide and disinfectant. [1]

Contents

Preparation

Potassium hypochlorite is produced by the disproportionation reaction of chlorine with a solution of potassium hydroxide: [2]

Cl2 + 2 KOH → KCl + KOCl + H2O

This is the traditional method, first used by Claude Louis Berthollet in 1789. [3]

Another production method is electrolysis of potassium chloride solution. With both methods, the reaction mixture must be kept cold to prevent formation of potassium chlorate.

Uses

Potassium hypochlorite is used for sanitizing surfaces as well as disinfecting drinking water. Because its degradation leaves behind potassium chloride rather than sodium chloride, its use has been promoted in agriculture, where addition of potassium to soil is desired. [4]

History

Potassium hypochlorite was first produced in 1789 by Claude Louis Berthollet in his laboratory located in Javel in Paris, France, by passing chlorine gas through a solution of potash lye. The resulting liquid, known as "Eau de Javel" ("Javel water"), was a weak solution of potassium hypochlorite. Due to production difficulties, the product was then modified using sodium instead of potassium, giving rise to sodium hypochlorite, widely used today as a disinfectant.

Safety and toxicology

Like sodium hypochlorite, potassium hypochlorite is an irritant. It can cause severe damage on contact with the skin, eyes, and mucous membranes. [5] Inhalation of a mist of KOCl can cause bronchus and lung irritation, difficulty breathing, and in severe cases pulmonary edema. Ingestion of strong concentrations can be lethal. [6] Symptoms of contact or inhalation can be delayed. [1]

Potassium hypochlorite is not considered to cause a fire or explosive hazards by itself. [6] However, it can react explosively with numerous chemicals, including urea, ammonium salts, methanol, acetylene, and many organic compounds. Heating and acidification can produce toxic chlorine gas. [7] Containers may explode upon exposure to heat. [1] Potassium hypochlorite forms highly explosive NCl3 upon contact with urea or ammonia. [1]

Related Research Articles

A bactericide or bacteriocide, sometimes abbreviated Bcidal, is a substance which kills bacteria. Bactericides are disinfectants, antiseptics, or antibiotics. However, material surfaces can also have bactericidal properties based solely on their physical surface structure, as for example biomaterials like insect wings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chlorine</span> Chemical element with atomic number 17 (Cl)

Chlorine is a chemical element; it has symbol Cl and atomic number 17. The second-lightest of the halogens, it appears between fluorine and bromine in the periodic table and its properties are mostly intermediate between them. Chlorine is a yellow-green gas at room temperature. It is an extremely reactive element and a strong oxidising agent: among the elements, it has the highest electron affinity and the third-highest electronegativity on the revised Pauling scale, behind only oxygen and fluorine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Claude Louis Berthollet</span> French chemist (1748–1822)

Claude Louis Berthollet was a Savoyard-French chemist who became vice president of the French Senate in 1804. He is known for his scientific contributions to theory of chemical equilibria via the mechanism of reverse chemical reactions, and for his contribution to modern chemical nomenclature. On a practical basis, Berthollet was the first to demonstrate the bleaching action of chlorine gas, and was first to develop a solution of sodium hypochlorite as a modern bleaching agent.

The term chloride refers to a compound or molecule that contains either a chlorine ion, which is a negatively charged chlorine atom, or a non-charged chlorine atom covalently bonded to the rest of the molecule by a single bond. Many inorganic chlorides are salts. Many organic compounds are chlorides. The pronunciation of the word "chloride" is.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sodium hypochlorite</span> Chemical compound (known in solution as bleach)

Sodium hypochlorite is an alkaline inorganic chemical compound with the formula NaOCl. It is commonly known in a dilute aqueous solution as bleach or chlorine bleach. It is the sodium salt of hypochlorous acid, consisting of sodium cations and hypochlorite anions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Potassium chlorate</span> Chemical compound

Potassium chlorate is a compound containing potassium, chlorine and oxygen, with the molecular formula KClO3. In its pure form, it is a white crystalline substance. After sodium chlorate, it is the second most common chlorate in industrial use. It is a strong oxidizing agent and its most important application is in safety matches. In other applications it is mostly obsolete and has been replaced by safer alternatives in recent decades. It has been used

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chlorine dioxide</span> Chemical compound

Chlorine dioxide is a chemical compound with the formula ClO2 that exists as yellowish-green gas above 11 °C, a reddish-brown liquid between 11 °C and −59 °C, and as bright orange crystals below −59 °C. It is usually handled as an aqueous solution. It is commonly used as a bleach. More recent developments have extended its applications in food processing and as a disinfectant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chlorate</span> Anion and term for chemical compounds containing it

Chlorate is the common name of the ClO
3
anion, whose chlorine atom is in the +5 oxidation state. The term can also refer to chemical compounds containing this anion, with chlorates being the salts of chloric acid. Other oxyanions of chlorine can be named "chlorate" followed by a Roman numeral in parentheses denoting the oxidation state of chlorine: e.g., the ClO
4
ion commonly called perchlorate can also be called chlorate(VII).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hypochlorite</span> An anion

In chemistry, hypochlorite, or chloroxide is an anion with the chemical formula ClO. It combines with a number of cations to form hypochlorite salts. Common examples include sodium hypochlorite and calcium hypochlorite. The Cl-O distance in ClO is 1.69 Å.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sodium dichloroisocyanurate</span> Chemical compound

Sodium dichloroisocyanurate is a chemical compound widely used as a cleansing agent and disinfectant. It is a colorless, water-soluble solid, produced as a result of reaction of cyanuric acid with chlorine. The dihydrate is also known as is the potassium salt.

Dakin's solution is a dilute solution of sodium hypochlorite and other stabilizing ingredients, traditionally used as an antiseptic, e.g. to cleanse wounds in order to prevent infection. The preparation was for a time called also Carrel–Dakin solution or Carrel–Dakin fluid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electrolysed water</span> Chemical mixture in water solution

Electrolysed water is produced by the electrolysis of ordinary tap water containing dissolved sodium chloride. The electrolysis of such salt solutions produces a solution of hypochlorous acid and sodium hydroxide. The resulting water can be used as a disinfectant.

Calcium chlorate is the calcium salt of chloric acid, with the chemical formula Ca(ClO3)2. Like other chlorates, it is a strong oxidizer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bleach</span> Chemicals used to whiten or disinfect

Bleach is the generic name for any chemical product that is used industrially or domestically to remove colour (whitening) from fabric or fiber or to disinfect after cleaning. It often refers specifically to a dilute solution of sodium hypochlorite, also called "liquid bleach".

Chlorine gas can be produced by extracting from natural materials, including the electrolysis of a sodium chloride solution (brine) and other ways.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antoine Germain Labarraque</span> French chemist and pharmacist

Antoine Germain Labarraque was a French chemist and pharmacist, notable for formulating and finding important uses for "Eau de Labarraque" or "Labarraque's solution", a solution of sodium hypochlorite widely used as a disinfectant and deodoriser.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Water chlorination</span> Chorination of water

Water chlorination is the process of adding chlorine or chlorine compounds such as sodium hypochlorite to water. This method is used to kill bacteria, viruses and other microbes in water. In particular, chlorination is used to prevent the spread of waterborne diseases such as cholera, dysentery, and typhoid.

A mixed oxidant solution (MOS) is a type of disinfectant that has many uses including disinfecting, sterilizing, and eliminating pathogenic microorganisms in water. An MOS may have advantages such as a higher disinfecting power, stable residual chlorine in water, elimination of biofilm, and safety. The main components of an MOS are chlorine and its derivatives, which are produced by electrolysis of sodium chloride. It may also contain high amounts of hydroxy radicals, chlorine dioxide, dissolved ozone, hydrogen peroxide and oxygen from which the name "mixed oxidant" is derived.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chlorine-releasing compounds</span>

Chlorine-releasing compounds, also known as chlorine base compounds, is jargon to describe certain chlorine-containing substances that are used as disinfectants and bleaches. They include the following chemicals: sodium hypochlorite, chloramine, halazone, and sodium dichloroisocyanurate. They are widely used to disinfect water and medical equipment, and surface areas as well as bleaching materials such as cloth. The presence of organic matter can make them less effective as disinfectants. They come as a liquid solution, or as a powder that is mixed with water before use.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liquid bleach</span> Chemical household product

Liquid bleach, often called just bleach, is a common chemical household product that consists of a dilute solution of sodium hypochlorite and other secondary ingredients. It is a chlorine releasing bleaching agent widely used to whiten clothes and remove stains, as a disinfectant to kill germs, and for several other uses.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Potassium hypochlorite".
  2. Uri Zoller, Paul Sosis (20 November 2008). Handbook of Detergents, Part F: Production. CRC Press. p. 452. ISBN   9781420014655 . Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  3. Helmut Vogt; Jan Balej; John E. Bennett; Peter Wintzer; Saeed Akhbar Sheikh; Patrizio Gallone (2007), "Chlorine Oxides and Chlorine Oxygen Acids", Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry (7th ed.), Wiley, p. 2
  4. "Enviro Klor: 12.5% POTASSIUM HYPOCHLORITE BLEACH ALTERNATIVE" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 September 2014. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
  5. , Environmental Protection Agency.2 March 2011.
  6. 1 2 "Material Safety Data Sheet: Potassium Hypochlorite" (PDF). www.kasteelchemicals.com/. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
  7. "Potassium Hypochlorite". Chemical Book. Retrieved 15 September 2014.