I had mentioned that the smell could be nitrogen trichloride which is very volatile and very smelly and irritating. It is produced when chlorine (hypochlorous acid) and ammonia mix (see Jafvert & Valentine 1992). It is pungent. Chlorine gas (and hypochlorous acid which can also be gaseous)...
I need to correct a couple of items in my previous post above. The reaction for the oxidation of urea by chlorine probably does not involve dissolved oxygen, but rather additional chlorine and may proceed via the following mechanism (this was proposed by Wojtowicz for the first and second part...
I'm sorry about the incident with the toilet. The key is concentration. I said to use diluted bleach, not straight bleach. The composition of urine and sweat (for humans; cats are not much different in this regard) is shown in Table 4.1 in...
Chlorine can be most easily neutralized by adding a reducing agent such as sodium thiosulfate. It can also be removed by exposure to ultraviolet light such as from sunlight, though this will take longer if the water contains Cyanuric Acid (CYA) that shields chlorine from sunlight (CYA absorbs...
One should NEVER mix concentrated acid with concentrated chlorine. Chlorine gas is liberated via the following equation:
HOCl + H+ + Cl- --> Cl2(g) + H2O
Hypochlorous Acid + Hydrogen Ion + Chloride Ion --> Chlorine Gas + Water
Bleach and chlorinating liquid contain hypochlorite ion and...
It would be easier to use 1,3-Dibromo-5,5-dimethylhydantoin, DBDMH, since it releases only bromine and not bromine and chlorine. These tablets are often used in spas (though BCDMH is also used in spas). Adding acid will produce bromine gas (just as adding acid to a chlorine solution produces...
Mixing diluted ammonia or urea with diluted chlorine is not dangerous and in fact is what goes on in swimming pools and spas. The reactions are as follows:
2NH3 + 3HOCl --> N2(g) + 3H+ + 3Cl- + 3H2O
Ammonia + Hypochlorous Acid --> Nitrogen Gas + Hydrogen Ion + Chloride Ion + Water
(NH2)2CO +...
What happens to chlorine
Chlorine in a pool or spa can get consumed in many different ways, but most have in common converting chlorine in an oxidation state of +1 into chloride ion in an oxidation state of -1. In an outdoor pool exposed to sunlight and with low bather load such as a private...