How To Make Bromine Water In The Chemistry Lab

Bromine water is a dilute solution of bromine used as a reagent in a range of chemical experiments. While it can be made in a chemistry lab by mixing the fumes of liquid bromine directly with water, this requires the use of a fume hood and heavy protective clothing, and is not suitable for beginning chemistry classes. A more convenient method of making bromine water uses bleach and hydrochloric acid to break down sodium bromide, avoiding the hazard of handling pure liquid bromine.

Step 1

Label the bottle "bromine water" or "Br 2 (aq)."

Step 2

Dissolve the sodium bromine in the hydrochloric acid, mixing the compounds in a flask or beaker. Pour the mixture into the glass bottle.

Step 3

Add the bleach to the mixture in the bottle. Cap the bottle and swirl it gently to mix the ingredients.

Step 4

Dilute the mixture with distilled water, swirling gently to mix.