The compound is a
disinfectant,
algicide and
bactericide mainly for
swimming pools and
dyestuffs, and is also used as a
bleaching agent in the
textile industry. It is widely used in civil sanitation for pools and spas, preventing and curing diseases in animal husbandry and fisheries, fruit and vegetable preservation, wastewater treatment, as an algicide for recycled water in industry and air conditioning, in anti shrink treatment for woolens, for treating seeds and in organic chemical synthesis. It is used in chemical synthesis as an easy to store and transport chlorine gas source, it is not subject to hazardous gas shipping restrictions, and its reaction with
hydrochloric acid produces relatively pure chlorine. Trichloroisocyanuric acid as used in swimming pools is easier to handle than chlorine gas. It dissolves slowly in water, but as it reacts,
cyanuric acid concentration in the pool will build-up. In large bodies of water, the TCCA is soluble and breaks down slowly, releasing chlorine in the water to sanitize contaminants. When TCCA instead comes in contact with or is wetted/moistened by a small amount of water and does not dissolve, it can experience a chemical reaction, generating heat and causing the decomposition of the chemical, which in turn produces toxic chlorine gas and can produce explosive
nitrogen trichloride. ==See also==