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  • Chlorine and Sodium Hydroxide Reaction: Products & Explanation
    When chlorine reacts with a cold, dilute solution of sodium hydroxide, the following reaction occurs:

    2NaOH(aq) + Cl₂(g) → NaCl(aq) + NaOCl(aq) + H₂O(l)

    Here's a breakdown of the reaction:

    * Chlorine (Cl₂) reacts with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) to produce a mixture of sodium chloride (NaCl), sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl), and water (H₂O).

    * Sodium chloride (NaCl) is a common salt.

    * Sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) is a powerful oxidizing agent and is commonly used as a bleach and disinfectant.

    Key Points:

    * Cold and dilute conditions are crucial. At higher temperatures, the reaction can proceed further to produce sodium chlorate (NaClO₃).

    * The reaction is a disproportionation reaction. This means chlorine is both oxidized (to form hypochlorite) and reduced (to form chloride).

    Overall, the reaction between chlorine and cold, dilute sodium hydroxide produces bleach (sodium hypochlorite) as a key product.

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