Chlorines reactivity free#

Those effects, however, remain debatable.Ĭhlorine is one of the atoms in a toxin that some South American frogs have in their skin. And that strong chlorine that you may smell when swimming at the public pool may actually be an indicator that additional chlorine is needed to balance the chemicals in the water.Ĭhlorine has caused quite a stir among researchers over the years because of certain harmful effects it may have on human health. According to the American Chemistry Council, the water in most swimming pools should contain two to four parts per million of chlorine. Swimming pools rely on chlorine to help keep them clean.In fact, one chlorine atom can destroy as many as 100,000 ozone molecules before it is removed from the stratosphere, according to the U.S. Chlorine destroys ozone, contributing to the process of ozone depletion.factory farms are often drenched in chlorine to get rid of fecal contamination. There may be some chlorine in the chicken you eat.Sodium chloride (salt) is the most common compound of chlorine and occurs in large quantities in the ocean.Chorine is the second-most-abundant halogen and the second-lightest halogen on Earth, after fluorine.

Chlorines reactivity free#

When isolated as a free element, chlorine takes the form of a greenish-yellow gas, which is 2.5 times heavier than air and smells like bleach.

Due to its toxic properties, chlorine was used as a chemical weapon during World War I, according to the Royal Society of Chemistry.Most chlorine is made via electrolysis of sodium chloride solutions - using an electric current to create a chemical reaction, according to the University of York. Other compounds include potassium chloride, which is used to prevent or treat low potassium levels in the blood, and magnesium chloride, which is used to prevent or treat magnesium deficiency. In fact, probably the most known form of a chlorine compound is sodium chloride, otherwise known as table salt. They are typically found as salts in minerals. None are found in nature in their elemental form, according to Purdue University.

They are highly reactive elements when bonded with hydrogen, they produce acids. Their electron configurations are similar, with seven electrons in their outer shell. They are all in the second column from the right on the periodic table in Group 17. When used as a hydrogen substitute, chlorine can bring many desired properties in organic compounds, such as its disinfecting properties or its ability to form useful compounds and materials like PVC and synthetic rubber.Ĭhlorine belongs to the group of halogens - salt-forming elements - together with fluorine (F), bromine (Br), iodine (I) and astatine (At). An oxidizing agent has strong disinfecting and bleaching qualities. The element is also used in organic chemistry processes - for example, as an oxidizing agent and a substitution for hydrogen, according to the Los Alamos National Laboratory. Moreover, chlorine is used in the development and manufacturing of materials used in products that make vehicles lighter, from seat cushions and seat covers to tire cords and bumpers, according to the American Chemistry Council. It 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, particularly PVC, according to the Royal Society of Chemistry. 17 on the Periodic Table of Elements, has multiple applications.