Chlorine and compounds: Overview
Description
Chlorine is used in the manufacture of chlorinated organic chemicals, plastics, and chlorinated lime. Other uses include water purification, shrink proofing wool, in flame-retardant compounds and batteries, processing of some foods, metal fluxing, as a bleaching agent, in pulp and paper manufacturing, and detinning and dezincing iron. It is used as a post-harvest disinfectant for fruits and vegetables, or as a disinfectant in human drinking water treatment systems, swimming pool water systems, industrial ponds, and sewage systems. Chlorine may also be used as an algaecide in commercial and industrial water-cooling tower systems.
Substance details
Substance name: Chlorine
CASR number: 7782-50-5
Molecular formula: Cl2
Synonyms: Dichlorine; molecular chlorine; chlorinated water, bertholite, javelle water, and sodium hypochlorite.
Physical properties
Greenish-yellow diatomic gas, a liquid, or in rhombic crystals, The pungent odour is suffocating and very irritating by inhalation, Chlorine is soluble in water, alcohols, and alkalis, Evaporates into the air very quickly.
Melting Point: -100.98°C
Boiling Point: -34.6°C
Specific Gravity: 1.4085
Vapour Density: 2.5
Formula weight 70.906
Chemical properties
It is a powerful oxidising agent, strongly electronegative, very reactive, and combines readily with all elements except the rare gases (xenon excluded) and nitrogen. Chlorine also acts as an electron-acceptor in forming complexes with many donor species. Monatomic chlorine is unstable under ordinary conditions and can be formed as a result of thermal or optical dissociation, by an electrical discharge, or as an intermediate during chemical reactions.
Further information
The National Pollutant Inventory (NPI) holds data for all sources of chlorine and compounds emissions in Australia.
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