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Details of Chlorine

Chlorine is the chemical element with atomic number 17 and symbol Cl. It is a halogen, found in the periodic table in group 17 (formerly VIIa or VIIb). As the chloride ion, which is part of common salt and other compounds, it is abundant in nature and necessary to most forms of life, including humans. In its common elemental form (Cl2 or "dichlorine") under standard conditions, it is a pale green gas about 2.5 times as dense as air. It has a disagreeable, suffocating odor that is detectable in concentrations as low as 3.5 ppm and is poisonous. Chlorine is a powerful oxidant and is used in bleaching and disinfectants. As a common disinfectant, chlorine compounds are used in swimming pools to keep them clean and sanitary. In the upper atmosphere, chlorine based molecules have been implicated in the destruction of the ozone layer.

Chlorine gas is diatomic, with the formula Cl2. It combines readily with all elements except O2 and N2 and the noble gases. Compounds with oxygen, nitrogen, and xenon are known but do not form by direct reaction of the elements. Chlorine is not as extremely reactive as fluorine. Pure chlorine gas does, however, support combustion of organic compounds such as hydrocarbons, although the carbon component tends to burn incompletely, with much of it remaining as soot. At 10°C and atmospheric pressure, one liter of water dissolves 3.10 L of gaseous chlorine, and at 30°C, 1 L of water dissolves only 1.77 liters of chlorine.

This element is a member of the salt-forming halogen series and is extracted from chlorides through oxidation often by electrolysis. As the chloride ion, Cl-, it is also the most abundant dissolved ion in ocean water.