Chlorine

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Chlorine \Chlo"rine\, n. [Gr. ? pale green, greenish yellow. So
     named from its color. See {Yellow}.] (Chem.)
     One of the elementary substances, commonly isolated as a
     greenish yellow gas, two and one half times as heavy as air,
     of an intensely disagreeable suffocating odor, and
     exceedingly poisonous. It is abundant in nature, the most


     important compound being common salt (Sodium chloride). It is
     powerful oxidizing, bleaching, and disinfecting agent. Symbol
     Cl. Atomic weight, 35.4.
     [1913 Webster]
  
     {Chlorine family}, the elements fluorine, chlorine, bromine,
        and iodine, called the {halogens}, and classed together
        from their common peculiarities.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  chlorine
       n : 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) [syn: {Cl},
            {atomic number 17}]

From Elements database 20001107 [elements]:

  chlorine
  Symbol: Cl
  Atomic number: 17
  Atomic weight: 35.453
  Halogen element. Poisonous greenish-yellow gas. Occurs widely in nature as
  sodium chloride in seawater. Reacts directly with many elements and
  compounds, strong oxidizing agent. Discovered by Karl Scheele in 1774.
  Humphrey David confirmed it as an element in 1810.