what happens when you mix ammonium and bleach?

Answer 1

I'm no chemist but I found these at three different locations on the web:
"Sodium hypochlorite (calcium hypochlorite is used as well) is the active ingredient in bleach. It's chemical formula is NaClO. (Sodium chlorite makes up only about 5% of the total mass of the bleach - the rest is water.) It is an ionic compound composed of the Na+ ion and the ClO- ion. However, you will not find this molecule as such in the bleach. Bleach can be formed by several processes, but one method is to bubble chlorine gas (Cl2) through an aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide, NaOH. The resulting bleach is composed of ions Na+, (OH)-, Cl-, (ClO)-, and some dissolved Cl2 gas. It is primarily the very reactive dissolved Cl2 gas that gives bleach its antisceptic qualitities by reacting with the cell walls of living microbes. It is also the CHLORINE GAS that gives bleach its odor. If allowed to evaporate, chlorine escapes, leaving behind NaCl (table salt) and NaOH. The white powdery substance left from evaporated bleach is a combination of these ionic compounds."

"Solutions of ammonia in water are called aqueous ammonia. A solution of 28-29% of ammonia in water is sometimes called AMMONIUM hydroxide and given the chemical formula NH4OH. 10% solutions of ammonia in water are used as "smelling salts".
Mixing household ammonia and chlorine bleach is exceedingly dangerous and produces a toxic and carcinogenic mixture of chloramine, NH2Cl, and hydrazine, N2H4 (not, as many believe, chlorine gas, Cl2)."

A Nasty Mixture:

"Mixing bleach with any ammonia based cleaner is very dangerous. The ammonia can react in many ways with the Cl-, (ClO)-, and Cl2 gas in the bleach. One such reaction is:


2 NH3(aq) + ClO- --> N2H4 + Cl- + H2O

N2H4 is called hydrazine and is a nasty substance. But there is a far more dangerous product that is also produced, NH2Cl. This is deadly chloramine gas. The different ways in which chloramine gas is produced is complex, but one of the reactions is:


Cl2 + NH3 --> NH2Cl + HCl

Even with moderate exposure, chloramine gas can cause severe damage to the mucus membranes, convulsions, and even death."

Answer 2

Everyone seems to be jumping on the "toxic gas" band wagon. I'll be contrary: Assuming you mean household bleach (sodium hypochloride, NaOCl) and household ammonia (NH4OH), I doubt if anything would happen that produces anything worse than either alone. Both are aqueous alkaline products so there will be no acid/base reaction. It is possible that a mixture of the two would change the solubility of ammonia (NH3) in the blend, which might result in the release of some ammonia gas. No cyanide or chlorine gas would be formed.

Having said this I'll add that I have not tried it so if I did I'd do it outdoors and upwind and only do a small quantity. As a general rule it is not a good idea to mix household cleansers.

Answer 3

Mixing household laundry bleach (sodium hypochlorite) and ammonium hydroxide forms toxic vapors of chloramide (H2NCl, also sometimes called chloramine).

Chloramide, Chemical Abstracts (CAS) Registry number 10599-90-3, has roughly the same odor as chlorine gas (you are familiar with the smell if you've been to a pool), and has a toxicity similar to or perhaps a bit greater than chlorine gas -- toxic effects start to appear at concentrations around 40 ppm. In the lungs, it causes pulmonary edema, just like chlorine gas or phosgene gas will.

The reaction DOES NOT produce cyanide, nor is it used in poison gas chambers.

Answer 4

If the window cleaner contains ammonia it will create a poisonous gas. Don't mess around with it.

Answer 5

Dave Star has it. I did this while I was in high school and learned why not to do it after I was working on my degrees in Chemistry.

Answer 6

A toxic gas forms that could easily kill you. Never, never mix these two chemicals. This is what they use in some gas chambers to kill criminals.

Answer 7

Toxic gas - read the labels.

Answer 8

Not a good thing to do...it produces cyanide gas which is extremely dangerous.

Answer 9

BOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 10

FIRE