What is bleach made from and how does it kill germs?
In: Chemistry
Household bleach is actually a mixture of chemicals, Its main constituent is a solution of ~3-6% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl), which is mixed with small amounts of sodium hydroxide, hydrogen peroxide, and calcium hypochlorite.
Sodium hypochlorite is used on a huge scale in agriculture, and industries such as chemical, paint, lime, food, glass, paper, pharmaceuticals, synthetics and waste disposal.
hypochlorous acid, the active ingredient in bleach, causes the unfolding of proteins in bacteria in much the same was that heat stress or fever does. Those denatured proteins then clump together irreversibly into a mass in living cells, similar to what happens to proteins when you boil an egg
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