Chlorine Chlorine - Cl General Information Discovery Chlorine was discovered in 1774 by C.W. Scheele in Uppsala, Sweden. Appearance Chlorine is a greenish-yellow, dense gas with a sharp smell. Source Chlorine is not found free in nature but combined chiefly with sodium as sodium chloride in common salt and the minerals carnallite and sylvite.
Chlorine is produced commercially by the electrolysis of sodium chloride.
Uses Chlorine is widely used in many different areas. It is used in the production of safe drinking water and many consumer products such as paper, dyestuffs, textiles, petroleum products, medicines, antiseptics, insecticides, foodstuffs, solvents, paints and plastics. It is also used to produce chlorates, chloroform, carbon tetrachloride and bromine. A further substantial use for this element is in organic chemistry, both as an oxidising agent and in substitution reactions. The chloride ion is essential to life.