My friend, Dr. Chemistry, was exactly as I predicted he would be. When I emailed him with my question about the reaction between ammonia and bleach, he said, "The simplest produces chlorine gas (which is poisonous):2NaOCl + 2NH3 -> 2NaONH3 + Cl2.Another poisonous and explosive product is nitrogen trichloride:3NaOCl + NH3 --> 3NaOH + NCl3Still another product is hydrazine N2H4 which is also explosive, when othernitrogen compounds are present." I have just enough of a chemistry background to understand that this is chemical formula and balanced equation for the chemical reaction between Ammonia and Bleach. So, I appreciated his explanation, the bold emphasis is mine.
In another email, he wrote, "here's a description of chlorine gas:"The gas tears into your nasal passages, trachea, and lungs by causing massive cellular damage."
Yikes.
The closet hypochondriac in me probably does not need this information, although the analytical, nurse side of me does have a morbid fascination. Hypochondriac won. I was sure that I had narrowly escaped the clutches of death. I laugh about it now but there was a span of 10 minutes when I was sure that if it were not for that terrible burning sensation I had and some very quick thinking to dump that mixture down the drain, I would have passed out and gotten very sick and possibly died.
This is one of those moments that I think God intervenes for my own ignorance. In all my 35+ years of living on this planet, I didn't know that you should not mix ammonia and bleach. Everyone I have talked to and told my tale said, "You didn't know that?" Which makes me feel even more silly and sure that if there is such a thing as a guardian angel, mine should have been paid double that day!
Now I know and will most likely never ever forget this lesson!
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