If the hydrocarbon is saturated, however, chlorine atoms readily add to the double or triple bond. Chlorine reacts with many elements of both metals and nonmetals to give chlorides. Only toward carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen is it fairly inert. Thus, vanadium forms a pentafluoride, whereas the pentachloride is unknown, and sulfur gives a hexafluoride but no hexachloride. With sulfur, even the tetrachloride is unstable.
Chlorine displaces the less electronegative halogens from compounds.
Cl 2 7.66H 2 O is obtained. Chlorine water loses its efficiency as an oxidizing agent on standing, because hypochlorous acid gradually decomposes. The reaction of chlorine with alkaline solutions yields salts of oxo acids. The ionization potential of chlorine is high. Although ions in positive oxidation states are not very stable, high oxidation numbers are stabilized by coordination, mainly with oxygen and fluorine.