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Chlorine is a chemical element; it has symbol Cl and atomic number 17. The second-lightest of the halogens, it appears between fluorine and bromine in the periodic table and its properties are mostly intermediate between them. Chlorine is a yellow-green gas at room temperature.
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- chloride
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- Overview
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- Occurrence and distribution
chlorine (Cl), chemical element, the second lightest member of the halogen elements, or Group 17 (Group VIIa) of the periodic table. Chlorine is a toxic, corrosive, greenish yellow gas that is irritating to the eyes and to the respiratory system.
Rock salt (common salt, or sodium chloride) has been known for several thousand years. It is the main constituent of the salts dissolved in seawater, from which it was obtained in ancient Egypt by evaporation. In Roman times, soldiers were partially paid in salt (salarium, the root of the modern word salary). In 1648 the German chemist Johann Rudolf Glauber obtained a strong acid, which he called spirit of salt, by heating moist salt in a charcoal furnace and condensing the fumes in a receiver. Later he obtained the same product, now known to be hydrochloric acid, by heating salt with sulfuric acid.
In 1774 the Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele treated powdered black oxide of manganese with hydrochloric acid and obtained a greenish-yellowish gas, which he failed to recognize as an element. The true nature of the gas as an element was recognized in 1810 by English chemist Humphry Davy, who later named it chlorine (from the Greek chloros, meaning “yellowish green”) and provided an explanation for its bleaching action.
Apart from very small amounts of free chlorine (Cl) in volcanic gases, chlorine is usually found only in the form of chemical compounds. It constitutes 0.017 percent of Earth’s crust. Natural chlorine is a mixture of two stable isotopes: chlorine-35 (75.53 percent) and chlorine-37 (24.47 percent). The most common compound of chlorine is sodium chloride, which is found in nature as crystalline rock salt, often discoloured by impurities. Sodium chloride is also present in seawater, which has an average concentration of about 2 percent of that salt. Certain landlocked seas, such as the Caspian Sea, the Dead Sea, and the Great Salt Lake of Utah, contain up to 33 percent dissolved salt. Small quantities of sodium chloride are present in blood and in milk. Other chlorine-containing minerals are sylvite (potassium chloride [KCl]), bischofite (MgCl2 ∙6H2O), carnallite (KCl∙MgCl2 ∙6H2O), and kainite (KCl∙MgSO4 ∙3H2O). It is found in evaporite minerals such as chlorapatite and sodalite. Free hydrochloric acid is present in the stomach.
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Present-day salt deposits must have been formed by evaporation of prehistoric seas, the salts with the least solubility in water crystallizing first, followed by those with greater solubility. Because potassium chloride is more soluble in water than sodium chloride, certain rock salt deposits—such as those at Stassfurt, Germany—were covered by a layer of potassium chloride. In order to gain access to the sodium chloride, the potassium salt, important as a fertilizer, is removed first.
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Element Chlorine (Cl), Group 17, Atomic Number 17, p-block, Mass 35.45. Sources, facts, uses, scarcity (SRI), podcasts, alchemical symbols, videos and images.
Oct 14, 2022 · Chlorine chemistry is critical to manufacturing medicines we depend on, including some that can help lower cholesterol, control arthritis pain and relieve allergy symptoms. The products of chlorine chemistry can also be found in blood bags, medical devices and surgical stitches.
Chlorine is a greenish yellow gas at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. It is two and a half times heavier than air. It becomes a liquid at −34 °C (−29 °F). It has a choking smell, and inhalation causes suffocation, constriction of the chest, tightness in the throat, and—after severe exposure— edema (filling with fluid) of the lungs.
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Jul 16, 2023 · 4 min read. Chlorine is a common element in household cleaning and pesticide products. You’re probably most familiar with its use in pools to keep them free from bacteria and algae. However,...
