hypochlorite

Hypochlorite is an antimicrobial agent primarily used to treat and prevent infections of the skin and tissue. It is the anion composed of chlorine and oxygen with the chemical formula ClO−. In medicine, it is most commonly encountered as sodium hypochlorite, which acts as a topical antiseptic for wound care, including cuts, abrasions, skin ulcers (such as pressure ulcers and diabetic foot ulcers), and pre- or post-surgical wound management[1][2][3][4][5][8]. Hypochlorite exerts its antimicrobial effect by reacting with fatty acids and amino acids in organic material through saponification reactions—degrading fats into fatty acids and glycerol—and by oxidizing essential bacterial enzymes via irreversible oxidation of sulfhydryl groups. The release of chlorine from hypochlorous acid in solution further disrupts cell metabolism by forming chloramines with protein amino groups[1]. Hypochlorites are also widely used outside medicine for bleaching, disinfection, water treatment, chlorination, and oxidation reactions[6].

Other names

hypochlorite ionClO−