by 
The Curious Bag
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A public pool is just one of the places you will find calcium hypochlorite. Apart from being a good disinfecting and sterilizing agent, it can also be a very dangerous substance, causing burns and being very corrosive.
Indentification
Calcium hypochlorite is made up of one atom of calcium, two atoms of chlorine, and two atoms of oxygen. It is commonly labeled CaCl2O2.
Production
Calcium hypochlorite can be made by reacting slaked lime (also known as calcium hydroxide) and gaseous chlorine. Some prefer to make it by using the slaked lime, lye (sodium hydroxide) and gaseous chlorine method.
Uses
Calcium hypochlorite has a number of familiar uses. "The Merck Index" states that it is used as an algicide, bactericide, deodorant, disinfectant, and fungicide; for sugar refining; as an oxidizing agent; and as a bleaching agent. Perhaps it is best known as producing the chlorine smell at a public swimming pool.
Warning
The Material Safety Data Sheets state that the substance is very hazardous in its pure form, causing burns to the skin and being extremely destructive to tissues of the mucous membranes and upper respiratory tract.
Features
One of the main uses of calcium hypochlorite is as bleaching powder. While normal liquid bleach is made of sodium hypochlorite (NaCl2O2), bleaching powder uses calcium instead of sodium.
Source:
"The Merck Index;" Maryadele J. O'Neil, Ann Smith, Patricia E. Heckelman; 2001
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