According to ScienceABC, bleach and ammonia blends produce a type of toxic gas called chloramines (a group of compounds that are involved in respiratory system irritation). Exposure to these gases can cause symptoms such as watery eyes, nausea, coughing, shortness of breath, chest pain and irritation of the throat, nose and eyes. You may have heard that mixing some household cleaning products can be dangerous, even life threatening. Some of the deadly combinations involved in cleaning products are blends of bleach and ammonia. In this article, we will discuss what happens when you mix ammonia and bleach and why this combination is dangerous to you and the people around you. What is ammonia? In nature, ammonia is a strong, colorless gas that smells spicy and turns into liquid ammonia when dissolved in water. Basically, it is a compound between a nitrogen molecule and three atoms of hydrogen with NH3.
Ammonia is the simplest hydrocarbon pnictogene and is a waste with normal nitrogen content (especially in aquatic organisms). This gas is found in nature (mainly it is made from plant and animal nematodes). It is lighter than air because its density is 0.589 times (compared to air). One notable thing about ammonia is that it can easily be liquefied due to the strong hydrogen bonding between molecules. Ammonia is used to produce a myriad of pharmaceutical products and also contributes significantly to the nutritional needs of terrestrial organisms (eg, ammonia used in the manufacture of fertilizer for crops). In addition, ammonia is also used in the synthesis of many home cleaning products. What is bleach? The term "bleach" is used generally to refer to certain chemicals used as household cleaning products. Technically, bleach is a chemical used to remove stains and whiten clothes. It can also be used as a disinfectant, mainly in the kitchen and bathroom. These substances have strong bactericidal properties, which is why they are used for sterilization purposes in sterile facilities, such as swimming pools (to control the growth of bacteria) .
Although bleach is created by the combination of several different chemicals, chlorine is the foundation of the most commonly used bleach. For example, calcium hypochlorite is an active ingredient in bleach powder and sodium hypochlorite is often referred to simply as "bleach" by consumers.
What happens when bleach is mixed with ammonia?
Sodium hypochlorite is an active ingredient in chlorine bleach. It is not only found in "bleach" but also in many other disinfectants. Similarly, ammonia is also found in some window cleaners and glass, some paints ...
Normally, it is advisable to avoid mixing ammonia and bleach together, but some people still do so, although theoretically this is a bad idea.
In short, the reason for not mixing ammonia and bleach is that it leads to the formation of toxic products (such as chloramine vapor and liquid hydrazine). The effects of exposure to chloramine gas include irritation of the nose, eyes and throat. Similarly, exposure to liquid hydrazine can cause nausea, edema, headache and even convulsions.