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Starch is an organic structure (carbohydrate) composed of two distinct polymers, amylose and amylopectin that are all made up of repeated glucose molecules. It is used as a reserve of energy, providing plants with glucose molecules (and consequently energy) when photosynthesis can not occur (at night or in winter). In humans it's a source of glucose necessary for energy production. Starch is also used in papermaking, glue and laundry.

Created by the german chemist Carl Friedrich Claus, it makes it possible to convert hydrogen sulfide (from natural gas) to elemental sulfur.
The overall reaction can be descibed as follows:

The Claus' process served as a better replacement of the Frasch process, which obtained elemental sulfur from naturally found deposits underground.

Sulfur that occurs as an unwanted compound in natural gas is also removed by hydrogenation, which yields hydrogen sulfide.

One should not forget that our bodies can produce hydrogen sulfide with the help of speicifc bacteria found in our mouth and intestines.

These take advantage of the sulfur found in proteins that we consume (four aminoacids, the buldings blocks of proteins, contain sulfur).

Household bleach mainly contains sodium hypochloride, NaOCl (eau de Javel). It is an unstable white powder that dissolves in water to give a yellow stable solution.

It also contains small amounts of NaoH, $H_2{O}_2$ and $Ca(OCl{)}_2$. The first method of producing bleach involved a reaction between chloride gas $C{l}_2$ and sodium carbonate ($N{a}_{2}C{O}_3$). Later, sodium carbonate was replaced by caustic soda (soda lye), NaOH, a cheaper substance that also made the production more efficient.

In this reaction, $C{l}_2(g)$ is reaction with a solution of NaOH giving a spontaneous reaction:

The raw materials of the reaction, chloride and caustic soda come from the electrolysis of brine.

Bleach refers to a wide range of chemical substances that are used mainly in order to whiten fabrics, clean surfaces and disinfect water supplies.

This range of substances works by oxidizing the molecules that either stain our clothes/furniture, or are part of unwanted germs. They can be divided into two main products: