# Chloride method using bleach rather than HCL



## Bobblehead Pete (Feb 2, 2022)

Is there any reason that plain laundry bleach could not be used to drop silver chloride in solution as opposed to HCL? I usually use HCL or table salt if HCL is not available. I have bleach on hand but I don't want to create any weird silver compounds that make the task of conversion painful or less safe. I haven't seen bleach being used online and would like to know from a chemistry point of view.


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## butcher (Feb 2, 2022)

Bleach is an alkaline solution containing NaOH sodium hydroxide that I would expect to also precipitate base metals as oxides and hydroxides.

Yow may lose or leave a portion of your silver in solution as water-soluble silver chlorate, in a solution of sodium nitrate.
3NaClO + 3AgNO3 --> 2AgCl + AgClO3 + 3NaNO3/

Besides the toxic gases produced in the reaction (similar to aqua regia) and the possibility of some loss of your silver, contamination of your silver chloride with base metal hydroxides, well it might work, but why not use sodium chloride, or go buy some HCl and save yourself some trouble finding out how much trouble you can get into trying new things.


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## Bobblehead Pete (Feb 2, 2022)

Good advice. Through further research I agree with your assessment. I am steering clear of the use of bleach as it would have detrimental effects. Thanks Butcher!


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