................................................
Alcohol and Bleach
Why You Should Not Mix Alcohol and Bleach
by Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.
Mixing alcohol and bleach is
never a good idea, as the combination results in chloroform, a powerful
sedative that can cause you to pass out.
You should always be careful
when handling these chemicals.
Chemical Reaction
Ordinary
household bleach contains sodium hypochlorite, which reacts with ethanol or
isopropyl alcohol to produce chloroform (CHCl3), hydrochloric acid (HCl), and other compounds,
such as chloroacetone or dichloroacetone.
Unintentional
mixing of these chemicals could occur from trying to clean up a spill using
bleach or from mixing cleaners together.
Bleach is highly reactive and
forms dangerous compounds when mixed with any number of chemicals, so it's best
to avoid combining it with other products.
Dangers of Chloroform
Chloroform
is a dangerous chemical that irritates the eyes, respiratory system, and skin.
It can damage the nervous
system, eyes, lungs, skin, liver, kidneys, and other organs and may even cause
cancer.
The chemical is readily
absorbed into the body through the skin and through inhalation and ingestion.
If you suspect that you have
been exposed to chloroform, remove yourself from the contaminated area and seek
medical attention.
Chloroform is a potent
anesthetic that can knock you out.
It is also the cause of
"sudden sniffer's death," a fatal cardiac arrhythmia some people
experience upon exposure.
Over
time, chloroform in the presence of oxygen (as in air) naturally degrades to
produce phosgene, dichloromethane, carbon monoxide, formyl chloride, carbon
dioxide, and hydrogen chloride.
Even once the chloroform has
broken down, you should avoid these chemicals.
Phosgene, for example, is a
notorious chemical agent. It was responsible for around 85 percent of the
deaths from chemical weapons during World War I.
Disposing of a Bleach and Alcohol Mixture
If
you accidentally mix these chemicals and need to dispose of the waste, don't try
to neutralize it.
First, use caution and do not
enter the contaminated area if you smell chloroform, which has a heavy,
sweet-smelling odor.
Once the smell begins to
dissipate, dilute the mixture with large volumes of water and wash it down the
drain as quickly as possible.
Acetone and Bleach
Although
this is a less common mixture, do not mix acetone and bleach, either, as this
reaction also produces chloroform:
3NaClO + C3H6O → CHCl3 + 2NaOH + NaOCOCH3
Ultimately,
mixing bleach with any chemical except water is an extremely bad idea.
Bleach reacts with vinegar,
ammonia, and most household cleaners to produce toxic fumes.
Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.
· Ph.D.
in biomedical sciences from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville - Oak
Ridge National Laboratory.
· Science
educator with experience teaching chemistry, biology, astronomy, and
physics at the high school, college, and graduate levels.
· ThoughtCo
and About Education chemistry expert since 2001.
· Widely-published
graphic artist, responsible for printable periodic tables and other
illustrations used in science.
Experience
Anne
Helmenstine, Ph.D. has covered chemistry for ThoughtCo and About Education
since 2001, and other sciences since 2013. She taught chemistry, biology,
astronomy, and physics at the high school, college, and graduate levels.
She has worked as a research scientist and also abstracting and indexing
diverse scientific literature for the Department of Energy.
In
addition to her work as a science writer, Dr. Helmenstine currently serves as a
scientific consultant, specializing in problems requiring an interdisciplinary
approach. Previously, she worked as a research scientist and college
professor.
Education
Dr.
Helmenstine holds a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences from the University of
Tennessee at Knoxville and a B.A. in physics and mathematics with a minor
in chemistry from Hastings College. In her doctoral work, Dr. Helmenstine
developed ultra-sensitive chemical detection and medical diagnostic tests.
Anne
Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.
ThoughtCo and Dotdash
ThoughtCo is
a premier reference site focusing on expert-created education content. We are
one of the top-10 information sites in the world as rated by comScore, a
leading Internet measurement company. Every month, more than 13 million readers
seek answers to their questions on ThoughtCo.
For
more than 20 years, Dotdash brands have
been helping people find answers, solve problems, and get inspired. We are one
of the top-20 largest content publishers on the Internet according to comScore,
and reach more than 30% of the U.S. population monthly. Our brands collectively
have won more than 20 industry awards in the last year alone, and recently
Dotdash was named Publisher of the Year by Digiday, a leading industry
publication.
No comments:
Post a Comment