Is bleach an acid or a base?

What an interesting question! From the way the question is worded, I can tell that the asker assumes that “bleach” is a single compound. like, maybe “bleach” is the common name for some chemical. After all, we say “vinegar” as the common name for “ethanoic acid, CH3COOH”. read more

Sodium hypochlorite, NaClO, is the common component of household bleach. It is a salt of strong base (Na+ from NaOH) and weak acid (ClO- from HClO). read more

Chlorine bleach is only safe to use because it so basic. When chlorine is mixed with water, the hypochlorite ion is in equilibrium with chlorine gas. However, if the pH is lowered, as when the bleach is mixed with an acid, the hydrogen and oxygen atoms in the hypochlorite ion form water molecules with the extra hydrogen ions. read more