Acids are important compounds in human life. Citric acid is consumed in citrus fruits and acetic acid in vinegar. Amino acids are among the most important as they build and repair muscle and other body tissues.
Acids also have industrial use as cleaners and for etching in metals. Two of the more commonly known of these compounds are hydrochloric and sulfuric acid. These are strong substances that can burn through many materials.
Most people think of acids in this way. However, there are weaker and lesser-known acids that are nevertheless useful. One of these is hypochlorous acid.
What is hypochlorous acid?
Hypochlorous acid is formed by dissolving chlorine in the water. The French chemist Antoine Joseph Ballard discovered hypochlorous acid in 1834 when he added a suspension of mercury oxide to a flask of chorine gas and heated it.
HOCl is easy to make but difficult to sustain as a stable solution. It is only in recent years that science has found a cost-effective way to make and sustain HOCl as a liquid.
Hypochlorous acid has very strong antimicrobial properties and thus is used in bleach, deodorants, and disinfectants.
In fact, the white blood cells that combat infections in the body contain HOCl. This main property of the compound is the reason behind its main uses.
What is hypochlorous acid used for?
With its ability to kill harmful microbes, hypochlorous acid is useful in scientific and medical applications. Some of its primary uses include:
- Caring for wounds: In 2016, the Food and Drug Administration approved products whose main active ingredient is HOCl for disinfecting and treating wounds in humans and pets. The FDA also approved it as a preservative in saline solutions.
- As a disinfectant: HOCl is used as an aerosol spray, a liquid, and in wipes for disinfecting surfaces in kitchens, bathrooms, and other areas that need to be sanitized.
- Treating water: Hypochlorous acid is the main ingredient in hypochlorite products used to keep swimming pools and other bodies of water clean and germ-free.
- Deodorizing: Tests have shown that HOCl can remove up to 99% of foul odors from the air including rotted meat, garbage, and human wastes.
- Organic synthesis: Laboratories use hypochlorous acid to convert alkenes to chlorohydrins.
As a cleaning and disinfecting agent, hypochlorous acid is one of the best. One of its most recently discovered uses is in fogging.
What is HOCl fogging?
Cleaning and sanitizing large areas such as those used in various businesses can be expensive and time-consuming.
Wiping and cleaning all surfaces including ceilings, floors, and walls can be replaced with a faster, more efficient system. Fogging is commonly used to eliminate insects from buildings. The fog used in that application is poisonous.
Fogs that use HOCl are safe for humans and will kill all kinds of harmful microbes including the COVID-19 virus. This new method of disinfection is fast and safe and is now in common use.
There are many types of acid and many are useful Hypochlorous acid is mild but does a great job killing germs, bacteria, and viruses, making it one of the most useful compounds.