Chlorine Chlorine is a chemical element that is a greenish-yellow gas at ordinary temperature and pressure. The gas is poisonous and has a strong odour. It is about two and one-half times as heavy as air.
Chlorine is not found free in nature. It is commonly found in combination with sodium. It forms sodium chloride (common salt). Chlorine is the most abundant member of the halogen family of chemical elements.
Most chlorine is produced commercially by the passing of an electric current through a solution of water and sodium chloride. This process, which is called electrolysis, is carried out in a container which is called an electrolytic cell. The electric current decomposes the solution and produce chlorine and sodium hydroxide (caustic soda).
Chlorine is used in many industrial processes and in the manufacture of many different products. It is widely used in the purification of drinking water and in the treatment of sewage. It is also used in the bleaching of paper and other products and in the separation of such metals as copper, lead, zinc, nickel, and gold from their ores. Important chlorine compounds include hydrochloric acid, sodium hypochlorite, and zinc chloride.
Chlorine was first isolated by the Swedish chemist Karl Scheele in 1774. Sir Humphry Davy identified it as a distinct chemical element in 1810.
The symbol of chlorine is Cl. Its atomic number is 17. Its atomic weight is 35.453. The melting point of chlorine is -149.8 F. (-101.0 C.). Its boiling point is -30.5 F. (-34.7 C.). Chlorine has specific gravity of : gas, 2.49 (air = 1); liquid, 1.56 (water = 1). Chlorine belongs to Group VIIA of the Periodic Table and can have a valence of -1, +1, 3, 5, or 7. There are two stable isotopes: Cl-35 and Cl-37.
Vocabulary notes
chlorine хлор
poisonous ядовитый
a strong odour сильный запах
heavy тяжелый
sodium chloride хлорид натрия
common salt поваренная соль
to be produced commercially получать на производстве
passing пропускание
an electric current электрический ток
through через
electrolysis электролиз
an electrolytic cell электролитическая ячейка
to decompose разлагать
manufacture производство
purification очистка
treatment обработка
sewage сточные воды
bleaching отбеливание
to use использовать
copper медь
lead свинец
zinc цинк
nickel никель
gold золото
ore руда
hydrochloric acid соляная кислота
sodium hypochlorite гипохлорит натрия
zinc chloride хлорид цинка
a liquid жидкость
to isolate получать в чистом виде
to identify выделить
to belong to принадлежать
atomic number атомный номер
specific gravity удельный вес
atomic weight атомный вес
boiling point (b.p.) температура кипения
melting point (m.p.) температура плавления
to belong to принадлежать
Lithium Lithium is a silver-white metallic chemical element. Lithium is the lightest metal and the third lightest of all the elements. Lithium is softer than lead and it is ductile. It is a good conductor of electricity, and can combine with many other metals to form alloys. When we expose it to air lithium tarnishes rapidly. It is therefore stored under gasoline and kerosene, or in airtight containers. At high temperatures lithium is capable of absorbing gases. We use lithium to remove oxygen and other gases in the manufacture of stainless steel, copper and copper alloys. The addition of the small percentage of lithium increases the strength of aluminum alloys, lead and tin. Lithium-magnesium alloys have numerous industrial and structural uses.
Lithium is irradiated with neutrons to produce tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen which is widely used in medicine. Lithium bromide and lithium chloride readily absorb moisture and are used in air conditioners and dry cell batteries.
The element was discovered in 1817 by the Swedish chemist Johan A. Arfvedson. It is widely distributed in the earth’s crust. Lithium compounds are obtained from the ores by various chemical processes. The metal is usually obtained by electrolysis of lithium chloride.
Lithium carbonate is used in the treatment of maniac-depressive illnesses. The chief ores of lithium are spodumene and petalite, two minerals which are composed of lithium, aluminum, silicon and oxygen, and amblygonite, a mineral which is composed of lithium, aluminum, fluorine, phosphorus and oxygen.
The symbol of lithium is Li. The atomic number of lithium is 3. Its atomic weight is 6.941. Lithium has melting point of 356 F. (180 C.). Lithium has boiling point of 2,457 F. (1,347 C.). The specific gravity of the element is 0.53. Lithium has two stable isotopes: Li-6 and Li-7. It belongs to Group I-A of the Periodic Table and has a valence of +1.
Vocabulary notes
lithium литий
silver-white серебристо-белый
light легкий
ductile пластичный
to combine with соединяться
an alloy сплав
to expose подвергать воздействию
to tarnish тускнеть
rapidly быстро
to store хранить
gasoline бензин
airtight containers герметичные контейнеры
to capable of способен
to absorb поглощать
under под
to remove удалять
oxygen кислород
stainless steel нержавеющая сталь
copper alloys медные сплавы
addition добавление
to increase увеличивать
strength прочность
tin олово
aluminum alloys алюминиевые сплавы
lithium-magnesium alloys литиево-магниевые сплавы
to have numerous industrial and structural uses использоваться во многих промышленных сферах и строительстве
to irradiate with облучать
neutron нейтрон
tritium тритий
a radioactive isotope радиоактивный изотоп
lithium bromide бромид лития
lithium chloride хлорид лития
readily легко
moisture влага
dry cell batteries сухие электрические батареи
to discover обнаруживать
to be widely distributed быть широко распространенным
the earth’s crust земная кора
lithium carbonate карбонат лития
treatment лечение
spodumene сподумен
petalite петалит
to be composed of состоять из
silicon кремний
fluorine фтор
phosphorus фосфор
amblygonite амблигонит