Patent ID: 7514019

Claim:
A water-soluble composition that generates and releases chlorine dioxide with a yield of at least 14 weight % and a chlorite conversion to chlorine dioxide of at least 70 weight %, at a controlled rate, the composition comprising: reactants capable of generating the chlorine dioxide through a chemical reaction when contacted by a main solvent, the reactants including a chlorite donor from about 30 to 50 weight % of the composition; and a gel-forming material in contact with the reactants, wherein the gel-forming material makes up no more than 10 weight % of the composition and upon being exposed to the main solvent forms a gelatinous structure, the gelatinous structure creating a chamber within the composition that encloses the reactants such that the chlorine dioxide product is generated in the chamber, wherein the gelatinous structure restricts diffusion of the reactant and the chlorine dioxide target product out of the chamber, restricts the diffusion of the main solvent into the chamber, and wherein the gelatinous structure dissipates when a depletion level is reached inside the composition, and wherein the gel-forming material is selected from at least one of a natural, semi-synthetic, and synthetic polymer; wherein different parts of the composition are exposed to the main solvent at different times.