What is the Common Name of the Compound CaOCl2

Q. What is the common name of the compound CaOCl₂?

Answer:- CaOCl₂ is the chemical formula for calcium hypochlorite, an inorganic chemical compound. They’re also known as calcium oxychloride, and CaOCl₂ but these are all chemical names used by scientists or chemistry experts. 

Bleaching powder is the name commonly used for CaOCl₂ or in layman language. As the chemical formula suggests it is the mixture of lime and calcium chloride. The action of chlorine gas (generated by the chlor-alkali process) on dry slaked lime produces bleaching powder. Its chemical reaction is:

Ca(OH)₂ + Cl₂ → CaOCl₂ + H₂O

Physical properties of bleaching powder are: It’s a pale yellowish powder with a strong chlorine odour. Cold water dissolves it.  The lime in it is the little insoluble amount that remains after dilution.

Chemical properties of bleaching powder are: All of the chlorine in bleaching powder is liberated when it is treated with an excess of a dilute.

• For example, when bleaching powder was exposed to an excessive amount of dilute sulphuric acid, all of the chlorine in it was liberated:

CaOCl₂ + H₂SO₄ ⟶ CaSO₄ + Cl₂ + H₂O

• As a bleaching agent, the chlorine formed by the action of dilute acid on bleaching powder is used. As a result, chlorine is the true bleaching agent in bleaching powder.

Uses of Bleaching powder are as follows:

• It’s used in the textile business to bleach cotton and linen, and in the paper sector to bleach wood pulp.

• It’s also used in the laundry to bleach washed garments.

• It is used to disinfect drinking water in order to make it safe to drink. That is, for making germ-free drinking water.

• It’s utilised in the production of chloroform (CHCl₃).

• It’s used to keep wool from shrinking.