levo

Chemistry of the P-Block

Bleaching and bactericidal action of chlorine and chlorate(I)

  • 3 things to know
  • Component 1

Overview

Active constituent of household bleach and why chlorine kills bacteria.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started
Key term

Explain what happens to a dye molecule when it is bleached by chlorate(I) ions.

Key term

Name the active constituent of household bleach.

Key term

Which species is thought to do most of the disinfecting when chlorine is added to water?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    Why are chlorine and the chlorate(I) ion able to act as bleaches?

    Model answer

    Both are powerful oxidising agents, and they oxidise coloured substances to colourless products.

  2. 2

    Explain what happens to a dye molecule when it is bleached by chlorate(I) ions.

    Model answer

    The part of the molecule responsible for absorbing visible light is oxidised and destroyed, so the substance no longer appears coloured.

  3. 3

    Name the active constituent of household bleach.

    Model answer

    Sodium chlorate(I) in aqueous solution.

  4. 4

    Explain why chlorine kills bacteria.

    Model answer

    It is a strong oxidising agent that oxidises and destroys essential molecules within the bacterial cells.

  5. 5

    Which species is thought to do most of the disinfecting when chlorine is added to water?

    Model answer

    Chloric(I) acid, HClO, which is formed when chlorine dissolves in water.

  6. 6

    Name two waterborne diseases that chlorination of drinking water has largely prevented.

    Model answer

    Cholera and typhoid.

Other ways to work this

The same content, four other ways.

What is inside Levo

Six ways to work the same material.

1Closed book
2Open book
3Closed book

The 3-step method, run for you

Answer cold, learn it, then prove it stuck. Levo tracks the jump between your first attempt and your last.

Formulae and Equations
Basic Ideas About Atoms
Chemical Calculations
Bonding

Cram a whole paper in one sitting

Sort every topic into what you know and what you do not, then drill only the weak ones.

An is formed.
alkenealcoholaldehyde

Blank Blitz makes facts automatic

Rapid timed gap-fills on the terms and numbers you need to recall without thinking.

AThe equation is k = A exp(−Ea/RT).
BHere k is the rate constant.
CA is the pre-exponential factor.

Build It gets the exam shape right

Assemble a full-mark answer from its marking points, in the order an examiner wants them.

Kc is a fixed number at a given temperature.
TrueFalse

Test It catches misconceptions

Spot the fault in a statement. The traps are the mistakes students actually make.

721941163128510

Brain Breaks between sessions

Short focus games to reset attention, so the next set lands better than the last.

Every question in Chemistry of the P-Block, on a schedule.

Attempt a question from memory, write the correct version, then attempt it again. Levo records the jump between your first attempt and your last, and brings each question back on the day you are due to forget it.

Or £46 a year, about £3.83 a month. Cancel anytime.