Before we dive into the role of bleach, it's essential to understand the causes of clogged drains. Drains can become blocked due to a variety of reasons, including:
NaOCl decomposes in water to form hypochlorous acid (HOCl) and oxygen radicals: [ \textNaOCl + \textH_2\textO \rightarrow \textHOCl + \textNaOH ] These species attack organic molecules by breaking carbon-carbon and carbon-hydrogen bonds, converting complex polymers into smaller, more soluble fragments (e.g., carboxylic acids, alcohols).