chlorine
a halogen element, a heavy, greenish-yellow, incombustible, water-soluble, poisonous gas that is highly irritating to the respiratory organs, obtained chiefly by electrolysis of sodium chloride brine: used for water purification, in the making of bleaching powder, and in the manufacture both of chemicals that do not contain chlorine, as ethylene glycol, and of those that do. Symbol: Cl; atomic weight: 35.453; atomic number: 17.
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Origin of chlorine
1Other words from chlorine
- chlo·rin·ous, adjective
Words Nearby chlorine
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use chlorine in a sentence
In the first reaction, chlorine radicals react with ozone to convert it to oxygen.
Explainer: Ions and radicals in our world | Adrian Dingle | August 18, 2021 | Science News For StudentsMost above-ground pools use harsh chemicals like chlorine to keep the water clear.
The best above-ground pool: Have a splash in your backyard | Irena Collaku | August 12, 2021 | Popular-ScienceWhat we call salt is actually a chemical combination of the elements sodium and chlorine.
Estuaries could power us to a low-carbon future | Claire Maldarelli | June 23, 2021 | Popular-SciencePart of me wants him to lap it up—to feel the bustle of a crowd on the edge of a parade, to smell the mix of sunscreen and chlorine at the public pool, to hear a room fill with the sound of people singing.
My Pandemic Baby Is Pulling Us Out of Our Cozy Cave. But How Will the World See a Disabled Mother Like Me? | Rebekah Taussig | April 28, 2021 | TimeAn undetermined number died from attacks using chlorine gas, which is much less toxic than sarin.
What Assad’s chemical weapons really accomplished | Graeme Wood | February 19, 2021 | Washington Post
When cities started adding chlorine to their water supplies, in the early 1900s, it set off public outcry.
Some locations even employ chlorine mats that service members are required to wipe their feet on in order to enter.
They are also are required to frequently wash their hands with a chlorine solution.
If the taste of chlorine haunts you, filters might help out.
Some have found Ecstasy to be cut with other dangerous chemicals such as pesticides, chlorine, and toxic household cleaners.
Miley, Molly, and Your Teen’s Mind | Dr. Anand Veeravagu, MD, Tej Azad | May 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHydrogen plays here the same rle as chlorine does in the ferric chloride solution.
The Elements of Qualitative Chemical Analysis, vol. 1, parts 1 and 2. | Julius StieglitzIt is probably a mixture of chlorous acid and free chlorine.
The colour is at once discharged by chlorine, while the colour of blood, although changed in hue, remains.
Poisons: Their Effects and Detection | Alexander Wynter BlythAccidents are liable to occur with chlorine gas from its extensive use as a disinfectant and also in its manufacture.
Poisons: Their Effects and Detection | Alexander Wynter Blythchlorine is a yellow-green gas, which may, by cold and pressure, be condensed into a liquid.
Poisons: Their Effects and Detection | Alexander Wynter Blyth
British Dictionary definitions for chlorine
chlorin (ˈklɔːrɪn)
/ (ˈklɔːriːn) /
a toxic pungent greenish-yellow gas of the halogen group; the 15th most abundant element in the earth's crust, occurring only in the combined state, mainly in common salt: used in the manufacture of many organic chemicals, in water purification, and as a disinfectant and bleaching agent. Symbol: Cl; atomic no: 17; atomic wt: 35.4527; valency: 1, 3, 5, or 7; density: 3.214 kg/m³; relative density: 1.56; melting pt: –101.03°C; boiling pt: –33.9°C
Origin of chlorine
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for chlorine
[ klôr′ēn′ ]
A greenish-yellow, gaseous element of the halogen group that can combine with most other elements and is found chiefly in combination with the alkali metals as chlorates and chlorides. Chlorine is highly irritating and poisonous. It is used in purifying water, as a disinfectant and bleach, and in the manufacture of numerous chemical compounds. Atomic number 17; atomic weight 35.453; freezing point -100.98°C; boiling point -34.6°C; specific gravity 1.56 (-33.6°C); valence 1, 3, 5, 7. See Periodic Table. See Note at chlorophyll.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for chlorine
[ (klawr-een, klawr-in) ]
A chemical element, normally a corrosive gas, that is widely used for sterilization and cleaning.
Notes for chlorine
Notes for chlorine
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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