gristmill

Probabilities in MO theory come from the Schrodinger equation. The wave function is the object that represents electrons in bonds according to the Schrodinger equation. The wave function is 'complex-valued', which means that at any point the wave function has both a magnitude and a direction, like an arrow pointing from the center of a circle. When two wave functions are added together, these directions come into play. At one point both wave functions might be pointing in the same direction, or 'in phase'. Then they would add directly to one another. At another point they might be pointing in opposite direction, 'out of phase'. They would be subtracted from one another. In general, wave functions add together somewhere between these two extremes.

Hey all. I found this thread looking for information about this reaction. Yesterday my mother decided to pour 1 gallon of bleach into a small artificial pond which had become a breeding ground for mosquito larva. Today, having decided that this method did not work, she requested that I drain the pond into our driveway. I started doing this, but then realized after turning the pump on that putting a gallon of bleach into my driveway was probably not the best idea. There are is a bush in the drainage path. So I poured some 30% hydrogen peroxide into the mix, probably around 200mL, and after a small period of time the expected O2 bubbles came pouring out. I didn't measure the volume because I expected to be able to do a rough titration by watching for bubbles, but I knew that around 200mL was what I was going for. Calculation after the fact given the direct reaction would have had me putting in 250mL. Now after this had been done and the resulting liquid began draining into my driveway, I noticed the nearly empty container of bleach sitting nearby. I poured what was left into the liquid and to my dismay, many bubbles erupted from the point I had hit. Now my question is this: is it possible that the peroxide has a radical mechanism in this reaction, or is somehow acting as a catalyst rather than a normal reactant? I measured the pH of the resulting liquid. It is between 7.5 and 8, so the Cl2 releasing reaction is probably occurring. I couldn't smell any Cl2 over the reaction though, so I'm assuming it stayed in solution.. Although I know that NaOH reacts readily with Cl2 to form chlorites and chlorates. Anyway, none of this was really done in the spirit of science, and I suppose I will be able to titrate my bleach against my H2O2 to find out whether there could be any catalytic activity there.