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. Continue reading from Encyclopedia Britannica
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. Continue reading from Encyclopedia Britannica
Sodium chloride (salt) is the most common compound of chlorine and occurs in large quantities in the ocean. Chlorine destroys ozone, contributing to the process of ozone depletion. In fact, one chlorine atom can destroy as many as 100,000 ozone molecules before it is removed from the stratosphere. Chorine is the second-most-abundant halogen and the second-lightest halogen on Earth, after fluorine. In its natural gas form, chlorine is harmful to human health. Due to its toxic properties, chlorine was used as a chemical weapon during World War I. Chlorine is used to sterilize drinking water and to disinfect swimming pools, and it is used in the manufacturing of a number of commonly used products, such as paper, textiles, medicines, paints and plastic Continue reading from LiveScience
