chlorine
- Noun:
- A chemical element: Chlorine is a nonmetallic element that belongs to the halogen group on the periodic table. It is represented by the symbol Cl and has the atomic number 17.
- A toxic gas: In its pure form under standard conditions, chlorine is a heavy, yellow-green gas with a strong, irritating odor. It is toxic and can be harmful to living organisms.
- A common chemical agent: Chlorine is widely used for purifying water (e.g., in swimming pools and drinking water systems), as a bleaching agent (e.g., for paper and textiles), and as a disinfectant. It occurs naturally not as a pure element but in compounds, primarily as chloride salts (like sodium chloride in sea water).
- Noun:
- The city adds chlorine to the water supply to kill bacteria.
- Chlorine is highly reactive and forms compounds with many other elements.
- A strong smell of chlorine is common around swimming pools.
"Free chlorine": Refers to the amount of chlorine available in water to disinfect, which has not yet combined with contaminants.
- The pool test kit measures the level of free chlorine.
"Chlorine residual": The small amount of chlorine remaining in water after the disinfection process, which helps prevent recontamination.
- Maintaining a chlorine residual is crucial for safe drinking water.
Chlorinate (verb): To treat or combine with chlorine, especially to disinfect.
- The facility will chlorinate the wastewater before release.
Chlorination (noun): The process of adding chlorine.
- Water chlorination has greatly reduced waterborne diseases.
Chloride (noun): A compound formed when chlorine combines with another element or radical (e.g., sodium chloride, which is common table salt).
- The lab test detected high levels of chloride in the sample.
- Disinfectant (when referring to its use for killing germs).
- Bleaching agent (when referring to its use for removing color).
Chlorine gas: The pure elemental form of chlorine.
- Chlorine gas was used as a chemical weapon in World War I.
Chlorine bleach: A common household product containing chlorine compounds used for cleaning and whitening.
- She used chlorine bleach to remove the stain.
(Note: As a specific chemical term, 'chlorine' itself is not commonly used in idiomatic expressions. Idioms would typically involve related concepts like "clean" or "pure.")
- a common nonmetallic element belonging to the halogens; best known as a heavy yellow irritating toxic gas; used to purify water and as a bleaching agent and disinfectant; occurs naturally only as a salt (as in sea water)