University of Washington Bothell research chemists continue to help a small Woodinville company that expects to change the world of sanitizing and disinfecting.

A year ago, chemistry students led by Lori Robins, associate professor in the School of STEM, helped the Briotech company prove that its product destroyed prions, the abnormal proteins behind mad cow disease and other neurological diseases.

For the past year, UW Bothell researchers have been defining the stability of the hypochlorous acid (HOCl) solution. Robins presented the work in August with a poster at the national meeting of the American Chemical Society in Washington, D.C.

The research shows the solution is remarkably stable, said Jeff Williams, the chief science officer for Briotech. That makes it stand out in the field of sanitizers and disinfectants made by running an electrical current through salt water. Other electrolytically  generated hypochlorous acid solutions must be used right away, requiring on-site equipment.

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