Question 4

Firefighters heavily and strongly recommend that the required method of extinguishing flames or fires supported by either most liquid or solid oxidisers is to deluge them with volumes of water, most metallic oxidisers are generally soluble in water on dilution, their chemical reactivity is sharply reduced CITATION Dar04 l 2057 (Darrell, 2004). Calcium hypochlorite Ca (clO)2 known mostly for its uses in water treatment and as a bleaching agent, most often than not calcium hypochlorite is known to undergo self-heating thus the need to place the compound in a cool environment is thus needed, but in the event that the integrity of the said plastic container is tampered with as a result of the fire, the calcium hypochlorite will mix the water and muck which are as a result of the firefighting efforts. The calcium hypochlorite will therefore react with the water, resulting in an increase of temperature and a subsequent rapid decomposition resulting in the release of toxic gas for this case chlorine (cl). The compound is known even at time to react strongly to even small amounts of water are doused on it. Henceforth if clean-up will not begin the 30-50 lb will release large amounts of chlorine gas endangering efforts of those participating in the clean-up CITATION Gar04 l 2057 (Gary & Tarr, 2004).

References

BIBLIOGRAPHY Darrell, L. (2004). Fighting Fire (1st Electronic Edition ed.). Alexande Street press.

Gary, M., & Tarr, D. (2004). Inorganic Chemistry (3rd Edition ed.). Pearson Education.