The disinfectant action of chlorine is MOSTLY due to which of the following forms?
The disinfecting action of chlorine is mainly due to the hypochlorous acid, and to a small extent due tothe hypochlorite ions. The hypochlorous acid is the most effective form of chlorine for water disinfection. It is more effective (70-80 times) than the hypochlorite ion. Chlorine acts best as a disinfectant when the pH of water is around 7, because of the predominance of the hypochlorous acid. When pH values exceed 8.5 it is unreliable as a disinfectant because about 90 % of the hypochlorous acid gets ionized to hypochlorite ions.
Hypochlorous acid
Hypochlorite ion
Hydrochloric acid
Both Hypochlorous acid and Hypochlorite ion