Metrohm has reported that the 848 Titrino Plus can automate a method for the analysis of bleach in disinfectants and cleaning products.
The heavy scent of bleach in the air must mean that something is really clean.
However, bleach is a disinfectant and not a cleaner.
Bleach does a good job of killing germs and removes tough stains, but it does not really clean dirt and residue from surfaces.
To do that, you would need to scrub and rinse surfaces.
For many household cleaning jobs, bleach is not the right cleaning solution.
It has heavy fumes that can make you sick.
Contact with bleach on skin is irritating and can be harmful.
Mixing it with many other cleaners can give toxic results.
Bleach can also damage surfaces and remove colour.
The active ingredient in most chlorine bleaches is sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl).
In bleaching powders, or in swimming-pool 'chlorine', hypochlorite ion may be present as calcium hypochlorite (Ca(ClO)2).
The oxidising action of the hypochlorite ion kills germs and also decolourises many stains and dyes.
The quantity of hypochlorite ion in a sample of bleach can be determined by finding out how much iodine (I2) it can produce by oxidising the iodide ion (I).
The quantity of iodine produced is measured by titrating it with sodium thiosulphate, Na2S2O3.
This method can be automated using the Metrohm 848 Titrino Plus.
Fast, accurate results are obtained, with minimum operator intervention.
