Re: CULT: OT: clorox - chemistry, horse's mouth-
- To: Multiple recipients of list <i*@rt66.com>
- Subject: Re: CULT: OT: clorox - chemistry, horse's mouth-
- From: B* S* <b*@tiger.hsc.edu>
- Date: Thu, 7 Aug 1997 13:51:03 -0600 (MDT)
NaCl (common table salt) is not the active ingredient in Clorox. I suspect
it's in there to provide additional chlorine for the reaction of the
hypochlorite with organic matter.
Both of these substances are highly soluble and used in reasonable amounts
(anything short of several gallons) pose no buildup problem. The salt will
quickly wash away and the hypochlorite is rapidly consumed by oxidizable
organic matter. The chlorine released in the process quickly diffuses away
in the air.
Scipio Africanus (or Skippy, as we learned to call him) sowed the fields of
Carthage with salt to render them sterile. It probably worked, at least
for several years, because of the low rainfall in North Africa. Here in
Virginia, even if you used salt crystals, the salt would wash away after a
few weeks or months (witness the large amounts [of CaCl2] used on the
roads).
Anyhow can we safely assume that you are using only small amounts of this
stuff and diluted at that?
Bill Shear
Department of Biology
Hampden-Sydney College
Hampden-Sydney VA 23943
(804)223-6172
FAX (804)223-6374
email<bills@tiger.hsc.edu>
