Who discovered calcium hypochlorite?
Calcium hydroxide, also called slaked lime Ca(OH)2, is obtained by the action of water on calcium oxide. When mixed with water, a small proportion of it dissolves, forming a solution known as limewater, the rest remaining as a suspension called milk of lime. Calcium hypochlorite, Ca(ClO2),widely used as bleaching powder, is produced by the action of chlorine on calcium hydroxide. Scottish chemist Charles Tennant (1768–1838) In 1799, Scottish chemist Charles Tennant invented a bleaching powder. In the early years of the Industrial Revolution, his patented lime powder was widely used to whiten a variety of fabrics and paper products. To make the bleaching powder, slaked lime (lime treated with water) was spread thinly over the concrete or lead floor of a large room. Chlorine gas was pumped into the room to be absorbed by the lime. Bleaching powder is a mixture containing calcium hypochlorite (Ca[OCl]2) as the active bleaching agent. Though an effective whitener, the powder was chemically
