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History about the application of Sodium hypochlorite

Sodium hypochlorite is a chemical compound with the formula NaClO. It is composed of a sodium cation (Na+) and a hypochlorite anion (ClO); it may also be viewed as the sodium salt of hypochlorous acid. It is commonly known as bleach or liquid bleach, is frequently used as a disinfectant or a bleaching agent. Sodium Hypochlorite is the main ingredient in laundry bleach. It is used extensively as a bleaching agent in the textile, detergents, and paper and pulp industries. It is also used as an oxidizing agent for organic products. In the petrochemical industry, sodium hypochlorite is used in petroleum products refining. Large quantities are also used as a disinfectant in water and wastewater treatment and sanitary equipment. In food processing, sodium hypochlorite is used to sanitize food preparation equipment, in fruit and vegetable processing, mushroom production, hog, beef and poultry production, maple syrup production, and fish processing. Hypochlorite was first produced in 1789 in Javelle, France, by passing chlorine gas through a solution of sodium carbonate. The resulting liquid, known as "Eau de Javelle" or "Javelle water" was a weak solution of sodium hypochlorite. However, this process was not very efficient and alternate production methods were sought. One such method involved the extraction of chlorinated lime (known as bleaching powder) with sodium carbonate to yield low levels of available chlorine. This method was commonly used to produce hypochlorite solutions for use as a hospital antiseptic which was sold under the trade names "Eusol" and "Dakin's solution." Near the end of the nineteenth century, E. S. Smith patented a method of hypochlorite production involving hydrolysis of brine to produce caustic soda and chlorine gas which then mix to form hypochlorite. Both electric power and brine solution were in cheap supply at this time and various enterprising marketers took advantage of this situation to satisfy the market's demand for hypochlorite. Bottled solutions of hypochlorite were sold under numerous trade names; one such early brand produced by this method was called Parozone. Today, an improved version of this method, known as the Hooker process, is the only large scale industrial method of sodium hypochlorite production. Over the last few hundred years, one of the primary uses for sodium hypochlorite has been for the bleaching of fabrics, particularly cotton. Virgin cotton fibers are not pure white and must be processed to remove their natural coloration. Cotton bleaching has been practiced since the time of ancient the Egyptians who exposed fabric to sunlight to cause whitening. Even as late as the end of the eighteenth century, the British textile industry would bleach linen fabric by soaking it in sour milk for at least 48 hours, then exposing it to sunlight by laying out miles of treated fabrics on specially designated grasslands. In the 1800s, C. Berthellot attempted to take advantage of chlorine's bleaching ability, but, because it is a gas in its natural state, the chlorine was difficult to control. Subsequently, a process was developed to deliver chlorine as a dry powder by treating calcium carbonate with chlorine gas. However, this method of bleaching was far from ideal since

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it resulted in damage to the fabric wherever the concentrated hypochlorite powder came into contact with the fibers. Industrial fabric bleaching was vastly improved with the development of commercial bottled solutions of hypochlorite (also called chlorine bleach). Sodium hypochlorite gained widespread use not only as for industrial fabric treatment but also as a home laundry bleach. It is still sold today as a 5% solution in water. Today ,Hypochlorite also can be used as a sanitizer or disinfectant. Both of these uses rely on the hypochlorite's ability to destroy microorganisms. The same oxidative mechanism responsible for hypochlorite's bleaching ability also makes it an effective germicide. Its disinfectant properties have also been utilized for the sanitization of food processing equipment, particularly milking utensils used in the dairy industry. One marked advantage of hypochlorite for these applications is the fact that it, in addition to working quickly, rapidly breaks down to innocuous compounds. For this reason it is also useful in chlorination of sewage effluents and swimming pool water. Today, its primary uses are in lavatory bowl deodorizers and sanitizers.