Bleaching Powder

• It is also called as the chloride of lime. The chemical formula of bleaching powder is calcium oxychloride.
• It is prepared by passing chlorine gas over dry slaked lime.

Properties of Bleaching Powder

• It is a white powder which gives strong smell of chlorine.
• It is soluble in cold water.
• It reacts with dilute acids to produce chlorine. When bleaching powder is treated with an excess of a dilute, all the chlorine present in it is liberated.

Uses of Bleaching Powder

• It is used for bleaching cotton and linen in textile industry.
• It is used for bleaching wood pulp in paper industry.
• It is used for disinfecting drinking water supply.
• It is used in the manufacture of chloroform.
• It is used to make wool unshrinkable.
• It is used as an oxidising agent in many chemical industries.

Source: NCERT Class 10