Chlorine

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= Introduction = Chlorine is one of 100 naturally occurring elements, but is never found free-form in nature. It is number 17 on the periodic table with the symbol Cl, and is a halogen. It is vital for sustaining life, such as in Sodium Chloride, and is also deadly. Chlorine is used in swimming pools, in disinfectants such as bleach, and in many pesticides. It also has a profound medical use, and is crucial for plant life. (The text of the video is: Chlorine is one of the most important elements in our daily lives, yet many people take it for granted. There are so many everyday things that use Chlorine. (Pictures) And now, the most important staple of our lives. Still think that Chlorine is just a poisonous gas?)

= History of discovery and use = In 1774, Carl Wilhelm Scheele, a pharmaceutical chemist, released some drops of hydrochloric acid onto a block of manganese dioxide, which emitted a greenish-yellow gas. 4 HCl + MnO2 → MnCl2 + 2 H2O + Cl2 He didn't know he had created chlorine, and the credit for the discovery was given to Sir Humphrey Davy. He named it Khloros, after the Greek name for its greenish-yellow color, and the name became chlorine in 1810. Chlorine gas can be created by passing an electric current through a water solution of sodium chloride, or a molten sodium chloride. Chlorine is responsible for many of the disinfectants that are used today, like Clorox Bleach. Chlorine is also a vital tool in many public places like hospitals and swimming pools, and is also used in meat and poultry processing plants. In WWI, the German forces used chlorine gas against the enemy as a poisonous gas. Chlorine is a key tool to produce clean drinking water, and has tremendously reduced the death toll of typhoid fever since its introduction to drinking supplies in 1908. It's also used in things such as vinyl rain gear, cars,

compu ters, and harnessing solar energy. Chlorine is one of the most important elements in our lives, but is often taken for granted.

= Environment = As mentioned above, Chlorine is part of Sodium Chloride, which not only allows life but is also important for hydration and allowing the body's muscles to work properly. In nature, chlorine has a different role. Chlorine is not only abundant in the form of Sodium Chloride, but also in the earth’s crust, trees, plants, rivers, and lakes. Chlorine is found in abundance in animals, however. It’s useful in the forms such as Sodium Chloride and Hydrochloric Acid. Chlorine is most commonly found in the ocean, as Sodium Chloride, and makes up 1.9% of the mass of seawater. Seawater also determines the amount of chlorine in the earth’s crust, because amounts vary with how far away the land is from the sea. The average amount in top soils is about 10 parts per million (ppm). Chlorine in plants is important for growth, especially in the chloroplasts. Chlorine is important in the role of photosynthesis, which makes it important for us to use in solar development. If the amount of Chlorine in the soil around the plant drops below 2 ppm, the plant will suffer. There is no distinct top limit for plants and chlorine, because it varies per plant.

= Economics = Most people don’t realize how important Chlorine is to our environment, not to mention our economy. 93% of all prescription drugs in the United States are made with chlorine chemistry. Pharmaceuticals are not the only product that Chlorine is involved in. The nine essential consumer products are Pharmaceuticals, water treatment, polyvinyl chloride, silicon based products, crop protection compounds, polyurethane, fluorocarbon based products, titanium and titanium dioxide, and bleaches and disinfectants. Chlorine also has an annual benefit of $634 billion dollars to consumers. Chlorine is not restricted to those nine consumer products, however. It's also a major part of harnessing solar energy, and is predominant in many crop protection products or pesticides, like Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and Dichlorodiphenyltr ichloroethane (DDT). Overall, Chlorine is an important addition to our economy, especially when relating to the general consumer.



= Health Effects =

Chlorine gas is extremely toxic. Even in small doses, it irritates the nose and throat. A person who is exposed to chlorine may experience sneezing, runny nose, and red eyes. But if a person is exposed in larger doses, chlorine can be fatal. Chlorine gas was actually used in World War I by the Germans as a weapon. Thousands of soldiers were killed or wounded severely by inhaling it. Those who survived were then crippled. They were unable to breathe correctly, because of the damage to their throats/lungs. On the other hand, compounds of chlorine are essential in maintaining good health in humans and animals. the average human body contains about 95 grams (3.5 ounces) of chlorine. Hydrochloric acid (HCl) in the stomach, for example, helps digestion. Sodium chloride (NaCl) or salt as we know plays an important role in the way nerve messages are sent throughout the body. Because humans eat so much salt, a lack of chlorine compounds causes a problem. Read this and more at []

A common misconception is that element chlorine (Cl2), is present in chlorinated water. During water chlorination, chlorine gas may be added to the water at first; but the chlorine is quickly transformed into other chemicals, which actually disinfect the water. Two of these chemicals are Hypochlorous acid and sodium hypochlorite.[]

One of the most troubling uses of chlorine has been the making of pesticides. A pesticide is a chemical used to kill pests. Certain chlorine compounds have become popular as pesticides. These compounds have become popular as pesticides. These compounds are called chlorinated hydrocarbons. They contain carbon, hydrogen, and chlorine. More at: []

= Chemistry/ Physics of Chlorine = Some Characteristics of Clorine Include that:

-it can be found on the periodic table in group 17 - period 3. -it is a halogen and has an atomic number of 17. -it's atomic radius is .97 angstroms.(Angstrom = one ten-billionth of a meter) -It's atomic volume is 22.7cm3 -it's electron configuration is 1s2 2s2p6 3s2p5. -it has 17 protons and electrons when it is neutral. -It's most common isotope Cl-35 has 18 neutrons -it's other naturally occuring isotope is Cl-36 -seven radioactive isotopes of chlorine are also known. -a radioactive isotope is one that breaks apart and gives off some form of radiation -it's Atomic mass number is 35.4527 -it's Boiling Points are 239.25K, -33.9C, and -29F -it's melting points are 172.31K -100.84°C -149.51°F -it's specific heat is 0.48J/gK -it's density is 3.214g/L at 273K -it is soluble in water -it combines with all elements except the noble gases -it is a strong oxidizing agent (a chemical substance that gives up or takes on electrons from another substance). -it does not burn, but like oxygen, it helps other substances burn.

=Interesting/Surprising Facts= > > See more: [|How to make a bomb from chlorine and alcohol | Video « Wonder How To] []
 * Chlorine is never found in its' natural form in nature.
 * When Carl Wilhelm Scheele discovered Chlorine in 1774, he mistakenly thought it contained Oxygen.
 * To be useful, an element must be relatively abundant or have extremely desirable characteristics, both of which Chlorine posses.
 * Chlorine ranks among the top 10 chemicals produced in the United States. in 1992, about 10.5 billion kilograms (23 billion pounds) of chlorine was produced in the United States in one form or another.
 * One last thing that may be a bit more exciting is what you can do with chlorine's reactivity.
 * Chlorine is one of the most reactive elements on the periodic table. This Video shows one of the many things you can do with this high reactivity.
 * [|Chlorine and Rubbing Alcohol Bomb Video]
 * I am not advising you to try this at home or anywhere
 * but if you do it anyway here are some instructions:
 * Take 2-3 tablespoons of powder chlorine and put it in an ice mountain bottle or a [|plastic bottle]. Add about 1/4 a cup of clear rubbing alcohol. Screw on the lid and shake a couple times until it makes a crackling noise. If you're just testing the bomb, set it down somewhere safe so no one gets hurt. The alcohol will start to boil and turn yellow. It gets really hot, and the bottle will expand a lot and then explode!
 * Remember to take extra precaution when doing this because the explosion can be loud and the chlorine inside is still dangerous if inhaled. so when doing this make sure you have a good amount of space and nobody goes near it, even if it doesn't go off quickly. some of these bombs can take up to a minute to go off, so, be patient.

=Works Cited =
 * Advameg Inc. "Chlorine, Chemical Element - Overview, Discovery and Naming, Physical Properties, Chemical Properties, Occurrence in Nature, Isotopes." // Chemistry: Foundations and Applications //. 2011. Web. 07 Jan. 2011. .

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 * American Chemistry Council. "Chlorine Chemistry Division : Chlorine Chemistry Division."// Americanchemistry.com : Chemistry Is Essential2living - The American //// Chemistry Council //. 2005. Web. 07 Jan. 2011..
 * Artek LLC. "Chlorine." // Side Effects - View, Report, Discuss, and Compare Side Effects //. 2006. Web. 07 Jan. 2011
 * Barbalace, Kenneth L. "Element Chlorine - Cl." // Periodic Table of Chemistry //. J.K Barbalace Inc., 1995. Web. 7 Jan. 2011. .
 * Gray, Theodore. "Pictures, Stories, and Facts about the Element Chlorine in the Periodic Table."// The Photographic Periodic Table of the Elements //. 2010. Web. 07 Jan. 2011. <http://periodictable.com/Elements/017/index.html>.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 32px;">Lenntech Water Treatment & Purification Holding B.V. "Chlorine (Cl) - Chemical Properties, Health and Environmental Effects." // Water Treatment and Purification - Lenntech //. 1998. Web. 07 Jan. 2011. <http://www.lenntech.com/periodic/elements/cl.htm>.

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