Final answer:
When sodium hypochlorite reacts with hydrochloric acid, chlorine gas, sodium chloride, and water are formed. This reaction is dangerous as chlorine gas is toxic, which is why mixing bleach with acidic cleaners must be avoided for safety reasons.
Step-by-step explanation:
The main component of bleach is sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl), consisting of sodium ions (Na+) and hypochlorite ions (OCl-). When sodium hypochlorite is reacted with hydrochloric acid (HCl), found in many toilet bowl cleaners, a chemical reaction takes place that forms new products. The chemical equation for this reaction is:
NaOCl + 2HCl → Cl2 (chlorine gas) + NaCl (table salt) + H2O (water)
This reaction essentially neutralizes the sodium hypochlorite, resulting in the liberation of chlorine gas, which is a toxic substance. The presence of water (H2O) and sodium chloride (NaCl), also known as table salt, are the other products of this reaction. It is important to mention that mixing bleach with acidic cleaners like toilet bowl cleaner containing HCl should be avoided due to the generation of toxic chlorine gas.