He Chlorine gas (Dichloro, diatomic chlorine, molecular chlorine or simply chlorine) is a greenish-yellow gas with a hot and stifling smell, not combustible at room temperature and atmospheric pressure.
It is the element with the highest electronic affinity and the third highest electronegativity, behind only oxygen and fluorine. It is extremely reactive and a strong oxidizing agent.
The high oxidizing potential of elemental chlorine led to the development of commercial bleaches and disinfectants, as well as a reagent for many processes in the chemical industry.
In the form of chloride ions, chlorine is necessary for all known life species. But elemental chlorine at high concentrations is extremely dangerous and poisonous to all living organisms, which is why it was used in World War I as the first chemical chemical warfare agent.
Chlorine gas in a bottle
It is toxic by inhalation. In the long term, inhalation of low concentrations, or short-term, inhalation of high concentrations of chlorine gas, have harmful effects on health.
Vapors are much heavier than air and tend to settle in low areas. It does not burn, but supports combustion.
It is slightly soluble in water. Contact with unconfined liquids can cause freezing by evaporative cooling.
It is used to purify water, to bleach wood pulp and to make other chemicals.
Formula
Formula : Cl-Cl
CAS number : 7782-50-5
2D structure
Chlorine gas
Chlorine gaseous / Molecular model of spheres
characteristics
Physical and chemical properties
Chlorine gas belongs to the reactive group of strong oxidizing agents. These compounds often react vigorously with other compounds.
Chlorine gas also belongs to the reactive group of strong halogenating agents, which transfer one or more halogen atoms to the compound with which they are reacting.
The halogenating agents are generally acidic and therefore react, in some cases violently, with the bases.
Many of these compounds are reactive to water and reactive to air. Halogens are highly electronegative and are strong oxidants.
Reactivity Alerts
Chlorine gas is a strong oxidizing agent. Reacts with water. The water dissolves gaseous chlorine, forming a mixture of hydrochloric acid and hypochlorous acids.
Inflammability
It can ignite other combustible materials (wood, paper, oil, etc.). Mixing with fuel may cause an explosion. The container may explode on contact with fire. There is a risk of explosion (and poisoning) from the accumulation of vapors indoors, in sewers or outdoors.
Mixtures of hydrogen and chlorine (5-95%) can explode by the action of almost any form of energy (heat, sunlight, sparks, etc.).
It emits highly toxic fumes when heated. When combined with water or steam, it produces toxic and corrosive hydrochloric acid vapors.
Reactivity
Chlorine reacts explosively with (or supports burning) numerous common materials.
- Chlorine ignites the steel to 100 ° C in the presence of soot, oxide, carbon or other catalysts.
- Turn on dry steel wool at 50 ° C.
- Turn on sulphides at room temperature.
- It ignites (in its liquid form) natural and synthetic rubber.
- Turn on trialkylboranes and tungsten dioxide.
- It is ignited on contact with hydrazine, hydroxylamine, and calcium nitride.
- It is ignited or exploded with arsine, phosphine, silane, diborane, stibine, red phosphorus, white phosphorus, boron, active carbon, silicon, arsenic.
- It causes ignition and a soft blast when it bubbles through cold methanol.
- It explodes or ignites if it is excessively mixed with ammonia and heated.
- It forms explosive nitrogen trichloride on contact with the Biuret Reagent contaminated with cyanuric acid.
- Easily form explosive derivatives of N-chlorine with aziridine.
Chlorine (in its liquid or gaseous form) reacts with:
- Alcohols (explosion)
- Cast aluminum (explosion)
- Silanos (explosion)
- Bromine Pentafluoride
- Carbon disulfide (iron catalyzed explosion)
- Chlorine-2-propyne (excess chlorine causes an explosion)
- Dibutyl phthalate (explosion at 118 ° C)
- Diethyl ether (on)
- Diethyl zinc (on)
- Glycerol (explosion at 70-80 ° C)
- Methane on yellow mercury oxide (explosion)
- Acetylene (blast initiated by sunlight or heating)
- Ethylene on mercury, mercury oxide (I), or silver oxide (I) (explosion caused by heat or light)
- Gasoline (exothermic reaction and then detonation)
- Mixture of sodium hydroxide and naphtha (violent explosion)
- Zinc Chloride (exothermic reaction)
- Wax (explosion)
- Hydrogen (blast initiated by light)
- Iron carbide
- Uranium and Zirconium
- Sodium hydride , Potassium and copper
- Tin
- Aluminum powder
- Vanadium powder
- Aluminum foil
- Tinsel
- Copper foil
- Calcium powder
- Iron wire
- Manganese powder
- Potassium
- Antimony powder
- Bismuth
- Germanium
- Magnesium
- Sodium
- Zinc
Toxicity
Chlorine gas is poisonous and can be fatal if inhaled. Contact may cause burns to the skin and eyes, in addition to bronchitis or chronic lung conditions.
German Attack of the First World War with Gas on the Eastern Front
Applications
Approximately 15,000 chlorine compounds are commercially used today. Sodium chloride is by far the most common chlorine compound and is the main source of chlorine and hydrochloric acid for the huge chlorine chemical industry.
Of all elemental chlorine produced, approximately 63% is used in the manufacture of organic compounds, 18% in the manufacture of inorganic chlorine compounds, and the remaining 19% of chlorine produced is used for bleaches and disinfection products.
Recycling raw materials, PVC
Among the most significant organic compounds in terms of volume of production are 1,2-dichloroethane and vinyl chloride (intermediate products in the production of PVC), methyl chloride, methylene chloride, chloroform, Vinylidene, among others.
The main inorganic compounds include HCl, Cl 2 O, HCl, NaClO 3, AlCl 3, SiCl 4, SnCl 4, PCl 3, PCl 5, POCl 3, AsCl 3, SbCl 3, SbCl 5, BiCl 3, S 2 Cl 2, SCl 2, SOCl 2, ClF 3, ICl, ICl 3, TiCl 3, TiCl 4, MoCl 5 , FeCl3, ZnCl2, and many more.
Chlorine gas is used in industrial bleaching operations, sewage treatment, the manufacture of tablets for pool chlorination or in chemical warfare.
Chlorine gas (known as bertholite) was first used as a weapon in World War I by Germany.
After their first use, both sides in the conflict used chlorine as a chemical weapon, but were soon replaced by phosgene and by mustard gas, which are more deadly.
Chlorine gas was also used during the Iraq War in Anbar province in 2007.
Clinical effects
Chlorine gas is one of the most common occupational and environmental inhalation irritant exposures. Recent studies have reported that the mixture of bleach (bleach, made mainly with sodium hypochlorite) with other cleaning products, is the most common cause (21% of cases) of single inhalation exposure reported in toxicology centers Of the United States.
The major toxic effects are due to local tissue injury rather than to systemic absorption. It is believed that cell injury results from the oxidation of functional groups in the cellular components; To reactions with the water of the tissues to form hypochlorous acid and hydrochloric acid; And the generation of oxygen free radicals (although this idea is now controversial).
In mild to moderate intoxication, coughing, shortness of breath, chest pain, burning sensation in the throat and in the retrosternal area, nausea or vomiting, eye and nasal irritation, asphyxia, muscle weakness, dizziness, abdominal discomfort Y headache .
Severe intoxication occurs: upper airway edema, laryngospasm, severe pulmonary edema, pneumonia, persistent hypoxemia, respiratory failure, acute lung injury, and metabolic acidosis.
Chronic exposure to chlorine gas is one of the most common causes of occupational asthma. It can lead to dyspnoea, palpitations, chest pain, reactive dysfunction syndrome of the upper respiratory tract, erosion of dental enamel, and increased prevalence of viral syndromes. Chronic exposure to 15 ppm produces cough, hemoptysis, chest pain, and sore throat.
Dermal exposure may cause erythema, pain, irritation, and skin burns. Severe exposure can lead to cardiovascular collapse and respiratory arrest. At high concentrations, syncope and almost immediate death can occur. Chlorine (as hypochlorite) is teratogenic in experimental animals.
Safety and risks
Hazard statements of the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS).
The Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS) is an internationally agreed system, created by the United Nations designed to replace the various classification and labeling standards used in different countries through the use of globally consistent criteria United Nations, 2015).
The hazard classes (and their corresponding GHS chapter), classification and labeling standards, and recommendations for chlorine gas are as follows (European Chemicals Agency, 2017, United Nations, 2015, PubChem, 2017):
GHS Hazard Classes
H270: May cause or intensify fire; Oxidant [Danger Oxidising Gases - Category 1]
H280: Contains gas under pressure; It may explode if heated [Warning Gases under pressure - Compressed gas, liquefied gas, Dissolved gas]
H315: Causes skin irritation [Warning Skin corrosion / irritation - Category 2]
H319: Causes severe eye irritation [Warning Serious eye damage / eye irritation - Category 2A]
H330: Fatal by inhalation [Danger Acute Toxicity, Inhalation - Category 1, 2]
H331: Toxic by inhalation [Danger Acute Toxicity, Inhalation - Category 3]
H335: May cause respiratory irritation. [Warning Specific target organ toxicity, single exposure; Irritation of the respiratory tract - Category 3]
H400: Very toxic to aquatic life [Warning Hazardous to the aquatic environment, acute hazard - Category 1]
H410: Very toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects [Warning Hazardous to the aquatic environment, long-term hazard - Category 1]
(PubChem, 2017)
Codes of prudence advice
P320, P220, P220, P260, P261, P264, P271, P273, P280, P284, P302 + P352, P304 + P340, P305 + P351 + P338, P310, P311, P312, P320, P321, P362, P370 + P376, P391, P403, P403 + P233, P405, P410 + P403, and P501.
References
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