Put simply: oxidation is a process in which oxygen reacts with the substances that is contacts and form substances which have different properties. In a chemical reaction, if a compound or element loses electrons it is said to be “oxidized”: It donates an electron. “Oxidation” is simply the process of subtracting or losing an electron. I use the word “burn” to loosely describe what bleach does to organic fabrics, the more accurate term is oxidation. Hydrochloric acid is a very strong acid on its own, which is why it is in a solution of water to make bleach transportable, otherwise the acid would “burn” everything it touches, even at low concentrations. This means it is a liquid solution made up of Hydrogen chloride and water. The kind of bleach used in laundry (and in the making of my art project) is a hydrochloric acid.
I’m going to tell you exactly how to do this yourself…. My sister and I went crazy with this for an evening and came out with some great one-of-a-kind wardrobe pieces. Now THIS is the epitome of “cheap and cheerful art”: All you need is a $4.00 bleach pen and an inexpensive pair of leggings or any other dark `fabric. I did a little science research and the whole episode inspired me to create some WEARABLE SCIENCE/ART. Thus began another one of my “Happy Accident” investigations at the intersection between art and science. This weekend- after a bottle of bleach fell on a pile of laundry at my house – I got curious about why the bleach didn’t seem to have an effect on some fabrics in the pile, and yet seemed to burn holes through others.