chlorine (Cl)

Term: chlorine (Cl)

Literally meaning: “”

Origin: Anc Greek

χλωρός/cloros(=green-yellow)

Coined/History 

Although sodium cloride was known since ancient times it was not until in 1630  when Belgian physician Jan Baptist van Helmont obtained for first time chlorine gas. In 1774 Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele, synthesized and named it as “dephlogisticated myriatic acid air” having thought that he synthesized an oxide. The suggestion that Scheele;s gas was a simple element was made in 1809 by Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac and Louis-Jacques. This confirmed by sir Humphry Davy in 1810,  who named it chlorine. Chlorine is very poisonous and was used as weapon during the First World War (1915).

Definition

Chlorine is the chemical element with atomic number 17 and atomic mass 35.453.  Chlorine is very poisonous (respiratory irritant) and is made on a large scale from sodium chloride through electrolysis. It is used for PVC plastic, household bleach and for purifying drinking water.. Diatomic chlorine is a yellow-green gas that has a distinctive strong odor, familiar to most from common bleach.  Chlorine is not found uncombined in nature.