Clorox

Clorox is the best-known brand of bleach in the U.S., whose near-century of success is the basis of Oakland, California-based Clorox Company (NYSE: CLX).

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The name is a combination of the words "chlorine" and "sodium hydroxide," which together form the active ingredient of Clorox.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The product and the company date to May 3, 1913, when five entrepreneurs invested $100 apiece to set up the first commercial-scale liquid bleach factory in the United States, on the east side of San Francisco Bay. The firm was first called the Electro-Alkaline Company. In 1916, it developed a weaker version for household, rather than commercial, use, and sales took off.

Bleach: In chemistry, to bleach something generally means to whiten it or oxidize it. A bleach is a chemical that can produce these effects. Common chemical bleaches include sodium hypochlorite, or "chlorine bleach," and "oxygen bleach," which contains hydrogen peroxide. "Bleaching powder" is calcium hypoc...

Oakland, California: Oakland, founded in 1852, is a major city on the east side (also called East Bay) of San Francisco Bay in Northern California in the United States. To its north lies Berkeley, home to the famous university campus (University of California, Berkeley). To its west stands San Francisco, across the Ba...

NYSE: REDIRECT New York Stock Exchange...