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Article
Chlorine
Article By:
Downey, Joe Dow Chemical Company, Midland, Michigan.
Belfit, Robert W., Jr. Quality Assurance Department, Dow Chemical Company, Midland, Michigan.
Last reviewed:April 2022
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.131500
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A chemical element, Cl, atomic number 17 and atomic weight 35.453. Chlorine exists as a greenish-yellow gas at ordinary temperatures and pressures (see illustration). It is second in reactivity only to fluorine among the halogen elements, and hence is never found free in nature, except at the elevated temperatures of volcanic gases. It is estimated that 0.017% of the Earth's crust is chlorine. It combines with metals, nonmetals, and organic materials to form hundreds of chlorine compounds. See also: Halogen elements; Periodic table
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