Chlorine

Chlorine is a chemical element with symbol Cl and

atomic number 17. It also has a relative atomic
mass of 35.453. Chlorine is in the halogen group
(17).
ORIGIN
Chlorine was first synthesized by a Swedish chemist
called Carl Wilhem Scheele in 1774. After he
released a few drops of hydrochloric acid onto a
piece of Manganese dioxide, He observed the
evolution of a greenish- yellow gas a few seconds
later, having no idea that he had just discovered a
gas.
However, it was not until 1810 when Sir Humphrey Davy, an English chemist,
through a series of experiments, discovered that chlorine was actually an element.
In 1810, Sir Humphry Davy named the element Chloric gas or Chlorine from the
greek word khloros ( greenish- yellow gas ) and yet it took another ten years for
some chemists finally to accept that chlorine really was an element.
FEATURES
1. Chlorine is a clear amber-colored liquid about 1.5 times heavier than water.
Gaseous chlorine is greenish-yellow, about 2.5 times as heavier than air.
2. Chlorine gas is a harmful poison.
- It was the first gas used in chemical warfare in World War I. It causes
suffocation, constriction of the chest, tightness in the throat, and edema
of the lungs.
3. Chorine has an anti-bacterial and anti-cancer properties as key component of
cancer fighting drugs.
CHARACTERISTICS
1. It has a pungent odor.
2. It is not flammable, but it may react explosively or form explosive compounds
with other chemicals such as turpentine and ammonia.
3. It can burn the skin.
4. Chlorine gas is a strong oxidizing agent which may react with flammable
materials.
What is an oxidizing agent?
It is a chemical species that removes an electron from another species.
USES
1. Chlorination
- It is the process of adding the element chlorine to water as a method of
water purification to make it fit for human consumption as drinking water.

2. For production of plastics, such as PVC, Poly-Urethanes, Epoxy resins, Teflon,

Neoprene etc., for use in construction, automotive, electronics and electrical
industries.
3. Medicines
- 85 per cent of medicines, including many lifesaving drugs, are made using
chlorine chemistry.
- 25 per cent of medical devices contain chlorine, including blood bags,
sterile tubing, heart catheters, prosthetics and X-ray films.
4. For the separation of metals such as copper, lead, zinc, nickel, and gold from
their ores.
5. For manufacturing bleaching powder, liquid bleaches, and petroleum
products.
6. For the preparation of insecticides, paints and aerosols.
7. Treatment of pool water.
FUNCTION
1. It penetrates cell wall and kills Bacteria and Viruses.
2. It is also serve as a choking agent.
3. It is an oxidizing agent wherein it removes an electron from another species.
WHERE CAN CHLORINE BE FOUND?
1. A Chinese folk medicine plant contains chlorine compounds.
2. Ecuadorian tree frog produces a chlorinated alkaloid, with pain-killing
properties several hundred times more powerful than morphine.
3. It can be found on inland seas such as the Caspian Sea, the Dead Sea, and
the Great Salt Lake of Utah
TRIVIA
1. As little as 2.5 mg per liter in the atmosphere causes death in minutes.
2. The water you drink everyday is treated with chlorine.