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What is Hypochlorous Acid (HOCI)?

Hypochlorous acid is nature's oldest disinfectant. HOCl is a weak acid with chemical name Hypochlorous Acid. It is also called Hydrogen hypochlorite or Chlorine hydroxide or hypochloric acid.

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Hypochlorous acid (HOCL)

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Hypochlorous acid (HOCL)

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What is hypochlorous acid ?

Hypochlorous acid is a free chlorine molecule with the chemical structure HOCl. It is the dominate free chlorine species in chlorine solutions that have a slightly acidic to neutral pH. HOCl is a much more powerful oxidant than sodium hypochlorite (or chlorine bleach).

How does it kill microbial pathogens ?

Hypochlorous acid (HOCl) is a neutrally charged molecule. Bacteria have negatively charged cell walls. Just like magnets, molecules with the same charge will repel each other. For example, the negatively charged molecule of bleach (OCl-) is repelled by bacterial cell walls. This is not the case with HOCl which is neutrally charged. HOCl easily penetrates bacterial cell walls. HOCl either oxidizes the cell walls killing the bacteria or enters through the cell walls and destroys the vital components inside the bacteria

Can hypochlorous acid be made from chlorine bleach?

Hypochlorous acid can be made from chlorine bleach by dilution however there are limitations. Hypochlorous acid is almost nonexistent in a free chlorine solution with a pH above 9. Chlorine bleach has a pH above 13. By diluting chlorine bleach, the pH can be lowered however the concentration of free chlorine will also be lowered. Upon diluting chlorine bleach to pH 8.5, the percent of the free chlorine that is hypochlorous acid is less than 5%. More dilution will dilute the free available chlorine concentration to unuseful levels. Trying to lower the pH with acidifiers will not help either because chlorine bleach will react violently and the free available chlorine product will be lost as chlorine gas. Therefore, electrolysis is the only safe method for generating high concentrations of acidic-to-neutral pH free chlorine solutions that are dominated by hypochlorous acid. At pH 5, the percent of free chlorine that is hypochlorous acid is above 99%.

How is hypochlorous acid deactivated?

Hypochlorous acid is a strong oxidant that is seeking to steal electrons from another molecule. Synthetic surfaces are difficult to steal electrons from however organic matter, microbial pathogens, or oxygen in the air is easy to steal electrons from. Once hypochlorous acid steals an electron, it either binds to that molecule and forms a new molecule, reverts back to hypochlorite, or it turns back into saline.

How is hypochlorous acid made?

Hypochlorous acid is made through a process called electrolysis. By passing a sodium chloride solution (NaCl) through an electrolysis cell containing an anode and a cathode, electrolyzed water is generated. There are two commonly used electrolysis methods for generating hypochlorous acid, membrane cell electrolysis and single cell electrolysis. Membrane cell electrolysis converts a saltwater brine into two solutions, a strongly acidic anolyte of hypochlorous acid and a strongly alkaline catholyte of sodium hydroxide. Single cell electrolysis converts a saltwater brine into one solution, a slightly acidic-to-neutral anolyte of hypochlorous acid.

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