How do bleach, ammonia and salfuman react?

I'm sure you've been advised at some point not to mix the cleaning products you have at home and especially to pay special attention to bleach, caustic soda, ammonia and salfumán. They were quite right and now you will see why. Let's take a look at the chemical reactions that take place between them, first we are going to see the formula and characteristics of each one of them.

Let us now see what reactions occur when these substances are mixed.

Bleach (NaClO) with Ammonia (NH3)

The reaction produced by mixing bleach with ammonia is: NH3 + NaClO ↔ NH2Cl + NaOH What is produced in this reaction is caustic soda and a gas called Chloramine. When this gas is breathed in and mixed with the water in our body (saliva, moisture in the throat,...) it produces Hydrochloric Acid (HCl) and free radicals: NH2Cl + 3 H2O ↔ HCl + NH4+ + 3 OH- Hydrochloric Acid is highly corrosive and can cause severe burns to the skin and mucous membranes. .

Bleach (NaClO) with Salfuman (HCl)

The reaction that takes place in this reaction is: NaClO + HCl ↔ Cl2 + NaOH As can be seen, the reaction generates chlorine gas, which is highly toxic, (used as a weapon in the first world war). When breathing in chlorine gas, chlorine can react with water in the mucous membrane of the lungs to form hydrochloric acid (Cl2 + 2 H2O ↔ 2 HCl + 2 OH-), an irritant that can be lethal.

Sodium hydroxide (caustic soda - NaOH) with Salfuman (HCl)

The reaction that takes place is: HCl + NaOH → H2O + NaCl This reaction is highly exothermic, releasing a large amount of heat, and of course neutralising the effect of either hydrochloric acid or caustic soda.

Ammonia (NH3) and Salfuman (HCl)

The reaction that takes place is: NH3+HCl->NH4Cl From this reaction is produced, in quantity, a rather striking white gas, ammonium chloride (as a curiosity ammonium chloride is used as a reference on the Farenheit scale). This reaction that takes place is a striking reaction, since it is so surprising that after a certain amount of time, which is the time it takes for the two gases to meet. Ammonium chloride is a solid that forms this mist because it is a dispersion of a solid in a gas. It is useful in pharmacology but is also used as an acidifier, with diuretic use and as an expectorant. Although striking, this reaction does not appear to be toxic, what it will do is neutralise any cleaning effect of salfuman or ammonia.

How each of the individual components works

Bleach - NaClO

Bleach consists mainly of Sodium Hypochlorite in solution: NaClO. Bleach oxidises the electrons of any substance, so that they are no longer available to absorb energy, all visible radiation is bounced away and the garment appears white. As a bleaching agent is a substance that eats away the colour and bleaches a stain whatever its chemical composition. As a disinfectantWhen sodium hypochlorite is added to water, hypochlorous acid (HOCl) and OCl- ion are generated: NaOCl + H2O → HOCl + NaOH-+ OCl- Hypochlorous acid splits into hypochlorous acid (HCl) and oxygen (O). The oxygen atom is a very strong oxidiser. Sodium hypochlorite is effective against bacteria, viruses and fungi. Sodium hypochlorite disinfects in the same way as chlorine does.

Salfuman - HCl

The salfumán or strong water is another chemical product that we find at home and that is formed by a solution of Hydrochloric Acid (HCl) at approximately 30%. Its most common use is as a descaler, in paint stripping, or in the cleaning of rusted metals. An example of the reaction that would take place with the limescale that sticks to the shower screen: 2 HCl + CaCO3 → CaCl2 + CO2 + H2O We would obtain Calcium Chloride (CaCl2) which will be dissolved in the Water (H2O) and we can easily remove it with a cloth, and the Carbon Dioxide (CO2), being a gas, will disappear from the screen.

Ammonia - NH3

Finally, ammonia or nitrogen trihydride (NH3) is used as a cleaning agent diluted in water. Once in an aqueous medium, ammonia forms ammonium hydroxide (NH4OH). NH3 + H2O ↔ NH4+ + OH-