why is it so bad to mix amonia and bleach if they're both cleaning solutes? I feel real dumb asking...?

Answer 1

Because when those two chemicals combine they produce an immediate gas in the air that can choke & burn your lungs & immediately suffocate you.

Just use one or the other. Don't mix bleach with any other chemicals.

Answer 2

I mix bleach and ammonia all the time and it hasn't done me or the kids any harm plus its smells really nice but it kinda makes u fell a bit light headed thats all

Answer 3

Many chemicals are cleaners. Just because two have that in common does not mean they are the same. An apple is red. A fire truck is red. They have that in common, but you can’t make a pie out of the latter.

Since bleach and ammonia are, in fact, two very different chemicals, they produce a ‘chemical reaction’ when combined.

Depending on the proportions of each you mix, you can produce different chemical reactions with different results, such as chlorine gas, or an explosion:

2 parts Bleach to 1 part Ammonia:

2(parts) NaOCl + 2NH3 --> 2NaONH3 + Cl2.

That “Cl2” on the right is chlorine gas. It was used as a chemical weapon during World War I and later by Nazi Germany in World War II. If you inhale it, it can be fatal.
Another potential reaction, which occurs when an even greater amount of bleach is added than ammonia, is this:
3NaOCl + NH3 --> 3NaOH + NCl3
That's sodium hydroxide and nitrogen trichloride. Nitrogen trichloride is a very toxic chemical to humans, and even if you did get close enough to ingest it, it would probably explode in your face first, as it is also a very volatile explosive. There is little necessity in explaining why that is bad.
Both results, and a couple other possibilities, are highly unstable and likely to kill you if you don’t know what you are doing. Therefore, it is best not to try to do anything with it. There is a reason those chem labs have fume hoods, etc.

‘Ric

Answer 4

Nobody should feel dumb for asking a question, an inquisitive mind is an active mind.

The Dangers of Mixing Bleach and Ammonia:
Often, one looks at a bottle of bleach and wonders, 'Why shouldn't this be mixed with ammonia?' If you know how dangerous chlorine gas is to humans (it was used as a chemical weapon during World War I and later by Nazi Germany in World War II), this will be very apparent. This entry will tell of a few reactions that can occur when bleach and ammonia are mixed in various proportions - the release of chlorine gas is just one of these. In the following sections, the header will be the name of the most dangerous compound produced in the reaction shown. Please, do not try any of this at home.

Answer 5

Bleach and ammonia are bad to mix together because they will react with each other and give off one of several nasty substances (the reaction that takes place can vary depending on what concentration you use and in what proportions). One by-product is chlorine gas, which was used in WW1 and causes a very very painful death by essentially tearing your respiratory tract and causing massive damage. Another potetial by-product is nitrogen trichloride, also very toxic and explosive. Hydrazine can also be formed via yet another reaction, which is also explosive. In the best case scenario, chloramines are formed and they simply cause respitatory tract irritation, nausea and you get a free trip to the ER, if your lucky enough to be around someone who can respond. Any of these reactions can be found in full online, just do a search, but PLEASE dont mix these!!

Answer 6

properly, in reliable sufficient strengths, both cleaners will create ammonium chloride, that's used as a poison, to kill those on deathrow, undesirable animals, and so on... you could dilute the liquid with water, yet there extremely is not any reason to apply both chemical substances jointly. It wont make some thing any better purifier, than basically utilising a chlorine bleach/water blend. No experience in taking possibilities, till you in hardship-free words like the push of mind cells lack of life. I

Answer 7

Actually you're not dumb for asking. You would have been (and possibly a bit dead too) if you had just gone ahead and tried it. The other answers are right, mixing the two produces chlorine gas which is highly toxic - you don't want to breathe it in!!!

Answer 8

I poured them both in the toilet once, years ago, while cleaning, aiming for some sort of "scorched earth policy." I used to just pour some of everything in there, and scrub away.

This is NOT a GOOD IDEA.

I got a lot of bubbling, foaming, and a plume of foul smoke rising from the toilet!

I flushed the toilet right away, and aired out the room!

Last time I tried that one! :-)) Now I stick to one or the other! One product at a time!

Good answers above!

Answer 9

Because the rreaction produces toxic Chlorine gas

NaOCl(bleach) + 2NH3(ammonia) --> 2NaONH3 + Cl2(chlorine gas)

Answer 10

Chlorine gas is released, which is highly poisonous.
Phosgene may be released also. Phosgene was used as a military gas in WWI.