Versión en Español Sodium Hypochlorite - Bleach Stability and
Filtration By Gilbert Gordon, Miami University, Oxford, OH
Novatek, A Division of EBB, Inc. Liquid Sodium Hypochlorite
(bleach) is an alternative to gaseous chlorine for water
disinfection. Commercially produced liquid bleach typically
contains excess caustic and possibly dissolved transition metal
ions. In basic solution, bleach (OCL(-) decomposition to form
chlorate ion has been shown to be a second-order process (Rate =
k2[OCl-]2). The formation of oxygen from decomposing bleach is a
slow side reaction in solutions of very pure sodium
hypochlorite. However, in the presence of transition metal ions,
the rate of bleach decomposition by the oxygen pathway is
increased. The chemistry of the catalytic decomposition of
bleach is complex. In general, nickel ion appears to effectively
catalyze decomposition either alone or in combination with other
transition metal ions (Ni > Co > Cu > Fe > Mn > Hg). The
addition of Mn2+ and Ni2+ together produced the h