Is it possible to find this without knowing it? (ingredients in bleach)

[TT0]

Homework Statement

An active ingredient in common household bleach solutions is most likely to be which of the following?

A)NaCl
B)NaClO
C)NaHCO₃
D)Na₂SO₄
E)HC₂H₃O₂

Homework Equations

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The Attempt at a Solution

So bleach is a cleaning agent and most cleaning agents are basic so then the salt needs to be a basic salt (so formed from a weak acid). This eliminates A and D. E won't be it cause it is a weak acid. This leaves B and C. The weak acid is hypochlorous acid and carbonic acid respectively. But I can't choose between the 2. I only found out by googling bleach. Is there a way to solve it or do you just need to know that bleach contains sodium hypochlorite?

 

[Borek]

Hint: the way bleach works is it oxidizes everything.

 

[TT0]

I am guessing that ClO^- is a better oxidising agent than HCO₃^- but I am not sure why...or how it helps me solve the problem...

 

[Borek]

Nothing to guess here - hypochlorite is highly reactive, after all its properties are related to chlorine with which it is in equilibrium:

Cl₂ + H₂O ↔ HOCl + HCl

Carbonic acid is just a weak acid, without oxidizing properties.

how it helps me solve the problem

Well, question asks for

An active ingredient

so a strong oxidizer sounds much better than an anemic acid, doesn't it?

 

[TT0]

Thanks