Sodium bromate, the inorganic compound with the chemical formula of NaBrO3, is the sodium salt of bromic acid. It is a strong oxidant.

Uses

Sodium bromate is mainly used in continuous or batch dyeing processes involving sulfur or vat dyes and as a hair-permagent, chemical agent, or gold solvent in gold mines when used with sodium bromide.

Production

Sodium bromate can be produced from a solution of sodium carbonate and bromine using chlorine gas as the oxidising agent. It may also be produced by the electrolytic oxidation of aqueous sodium bromide.

Human health issues

Bromate in drinking water is undesirable because it is a suspected human carcinogen. Its presence in Coca-Cola's Dasani bottled water forced a recall of that product in the UK.