chlorine etymology

Etymology

The word "chlorine" comes from the Greek word "chloros," meaning "greenish yellow." This refers to the color of elemental chlorine gas.

Origin

Chlorine was first isolated by the Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele in 1774. He did this by reacting manganese dioxide with hydrochloric acid. However, Scheele initially believed that he had discovered a new element, which he called "dephlogisticated marine acid air."

It wasn't until 1810 that the English chemist Humphrey Davy demonstrated that Scheele's "dephlogisticated marine acid air" was actually an element. Davy named the new element "chlorine" because of its greenish yellow color.

Meaning

Chlorine is a chemical element with the symbol Cl and atomic number 17. It is a halogen, and is the second lightest halogen after fluorine. Chlorine is a highly reactive gas, and it is the most reactive of the halogens. It is used in a wide variety of applications, including water purification, bleaching, and the production of plastics.

chlorine relate terms

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  • alcohol

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  • chlorine

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  • chloroform

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  • iodine

    Etymology The word iodine comes from the Greek word iōdēs meaning violet coloured

  • halogen

    Etymology The word halogen comes from the Greek words hals meaning salt and gene

  • element

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  • atomic

    Etymology The word atomic comes from the Greek word atomos which means indivisible

  • number

    Etymology Comes from the Old French word nombere which derives from the Latin numer

  • guild

    Etymology Old English gild Anglo Saxon gildan meaning to pay or to contribute

  • conscience

    Etymology From Middle French conscience knowledge from Latin conscientia knowled