Chemical Elements History and Information Chlorine

About the chemical element Chlorine, its symbol, atomic number and weight, who discovered it and when.

The Atomic Elements and Their Uses

(Element) (Symbol) (Atomic number) (Atomic weight)

Chlorine Cl 17 35.453

Discovered by Karl Scheele of Sweden in 1774 and named by Sir Humphry Davy of England in 1810. Chlorine is added to water to bleach or sterilize it. In either case, it isn't the chlorine but the oxygen released by the water's reaction to chlorine that does the job. In pure water, diluted chlorine solutions are harmless, but concentrated chlorine reacts with some impurities to produce dangerous compounds like chloroform and carbon tetrachloride. Both are toxic and suspected of being carcinogens.