sodium hypochlorite

noun Chemistry.

a pale-green, crystalline compound, NaOCl, unstable in air, soluble in cold water, decomposes in hot water: used as a bleaching agent for paper and textiles, in water purification, in household use, and as a fungicide.

Origin of sodium hypochlorite

First recorded in 1880–85

Words nearby sodium hypochlorite

sodium fluoride, sodium fluoroacetate, sodium hexametaphosphate, sodium hydrosulfite, sodium hydroxide, sodium hypochlorite, sodium hyposulfite, sodium hyposulphite, sodium iodide, sodium lactate, sodium meta-arsenite

Medical definitions for sodium hypochlorite

sodium hypochlorite

n.

An unstable salt usually stored in solution and used as a fungicide and an oxidizing bleach.

Scientific definitions for sodium hypochlorite

sodium hypochlorite

An unstable salt that is usually stored in solution and used as a fungicide and an oxidizing bleach. Chemical formula: NaOCl·5H2O.