Each month Wired’s chemist Dr John Emsley, author of nine books and 110 research papers, deconstructs an everyday product. This month: Cillit Bang cleaner.
Sulfamic acid (chemical formula HSO2NH2)
Included in Cillit Bang because it’s good at cleaning metals and dissolving limescale. Sulfamic acid is used on a large scale by industry for these same reasons, but more importantly it is involved in manufacturing dyes and pharmaceuticals such as antibiotics and anti-cancer drugs. Sulfamic acid is also found in household products such as toilet cleaners.
Phosphoric acid (chemical formula H3PO4, food additive E338)
Phosphoric acid is found in fertilisers and water softeners, and is particularly useful at cleaning metals — it is widely used as an industrial metal cleaner. This can be seen in some Cillit Bang ads, in which an old coin is rendered shiny.
It can also be bought as a DIY product, generally in the form of a gel, which can be used to remove rust. Phosphoric acid is generally regarded as one of the safest acids for use in regulating pH in manufactured items – so much so it’s even used in skin-care products
C9-11 Pareth-6
A powerful surfactant that’s safe enough to be used in skin-care products. This is the ingredient in Cillit Bang that removes grease and grime. C9-11 pareth-6 is even strong enough to remove the sticky traffic grime from cars and lorries.
Parfum
Although not specified, the major component appears to be limonene, which provides the citrus scent of lemons and oranges. It is present in the peels of these fruits and is extracted commercially from orange-peel zest.
Other uses for the chemicals mentioned
