Discovery Information
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Who: Karl Wilhelm Scheele |
When: 1774 |
Where: Sweden |
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Name Origin
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Greek: khloros (green). |
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Sources
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Never found in free form in nature. Salt (sodium chloride, NaCl) is its most common compound. Chlorides make up much of the salt dissolved in the Earth's oceans - about 1.9%
of the mass of seawater is chloride ions.
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Uses
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Used widely in paper product production, antiseptic, dyestuffs, food, insecticides, paints, petroleum products, plastics,
medicines, textiles, solvents, and many other consumer products.
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Chlorine is an important chemical in some processes of water purification, disinfectants and in bleaches. hloro fluorocarbons
(CFC).
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Notes
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The pure chemical element has the physical form of a diatomic yellow-green gas, Cl2. Chlorine combines readily with nearly all other elements. Chlorine is about two and a half times as heavy as air.
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Chlorine irritates respiratory systems especially in children and the elderly. In its gaseous state it irritates mucous membranes
and in its liquid state it burns skin. As little as 3.5 ppm (parts per million) can be detected as an odour, and 1000 ppm
is likely to be fatal after a few deep breaths.
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Toxic fumes may be produced when bleach is mixed with urine, ammonia (NH3), hydrochloric acid (HCl), or another cleaning product. These fumes consist of a mixture of chlorine gas, chloramine and
nitrogen trichloride; therefore these combinations should be avoided.
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Chlorine gas was first used as weapon against human beings in World War I on April 22nd, 1915. |