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A bleach is a chemical that removes colors or whitens, often via oxidation. Common chemical bleaches include household chlorine bleach, a solution of approximately 36% sodium hypochlorite (NaClO), and oxygen bleach, which contains hydrogen peroxide or a peroxide-releasing compound such as sodium perborate, sodium percarbonate, sodium persulfate, tetrasodium pyrophosphate, or urea peroxide together with catalysts and activators, e.g., tetraacetylethylenediamine and/or sodium nonanoyloxybenzenesulfonate. In an emergency, drinking water can be treated: Ratio of bleach to water for purification: 2 drops of bleach per quart of water or 8 drops of bleach per gallon of water; Chemistry The process of bleaching can be summarized in the following set of chemical reactions: Cl2(aq) + H2O(l) \rightleftharpoons H+(aq) + Cl-(aq) + HClO(aq) The H+ ion of the hypochlorous acid then dissolves into solution, and so the final result is effectively: Cl2(aq) + H2O(l) \rightleftharpoons 2H+(aq) + Cl-(aq) + ClO-(aq) Hypochlorite tends to decompose into chloride and a highly reactive form of oxygen: 2ClO- \rightarrow 2Cl- + O2 Mechanism of bleach action Color in most dyes and pigments are produced by molecules, such as beta carotene, which contain chromophores.