Calcium hypochlorite

Description

A white, crystalline solid. Calcium hypochlorite is a strong oxidizing bleach. It has been used in weak concentrations (0.5%) to bleach textiles and Paper although it may leave traces or residual chloride. It is also used as a Bactericide, Fungicide, and Disinfectant.

Chemical structure

Synonyms and Related Terms

calcium hypochloride; bleaching powder; chloride of lime; calcium oxychloride; calcium salt of hypochlorous acid; Losantin; chlorinated lime

Risks

• Toxic chlorine gas may form when mixed with acids or ammonia.
• Fire risk in contact with organic materials.
• Severely corrosive to skin tissue on contact, inhalation, or ingestion.
• The presence of trace heavy metals or their salts can accelerate oxidation.
• Flinn Scientific: SDS

Physical and Chemical Properties

Decomposes in water and ethanol.

Composition	Ca(OCl)2
CAS	7778-54-3
Density	2.35 g/ml
Molecular Weight	mol. wt. = 142.98

Resources and Citations

• Van Nostrand's Scientific Encyclopedia, Douglas M. Considine (ed.), Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1976

• Thomas Gregory, The Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Reinhold Publishing, New York, 3rd ed., 1942

• Richard S. Lewis, Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 10th ed., 1993

• Pam Hatchfield, Pollutants in the Museum Environment, Archetype Press, London, 2002

• Book and Paper Group, Paper Conservation Catalog, AIC, 1984, 1989

• Hermann Kuhn, Conservation and Restoration of Works of Art and Antiquities, Butterworths, London, 1986

• G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971

• Matt Roberts, Don Etherington, Bookbinding and the Conservation of Books: a Dictionary of Descriptive Terminology, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington DC, 1982

• The Merck Index, Martha Windholz (ed.), Merck Research Labs, Rahway NJ, 10th edition, 1983 Comment: entry 1648