Preferred term
chlorine
Definition
- [GEMET] A very reactive and highly toxic green, gaseous element, belonging to the halogen family of substances. It is one of the most widespread elements, as it occurs naturally in sea-water, salt lakes and underground deposits, but usually occurs in a safe form as common salt (NaCl). Commercially it is used in large quantities by the chemical industry both as an element to produce chlorinated organic solvents, like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and for the manufacture of polyvinyl chloride plastics, thermoplastic and hypochlorite bleaches. Chlorine was the basis for the organochlorine pesticides, like DDT and other agricultural chemicals that have killed wildlife. The reactivity of chlorine has proved disastrous for the ozone layer and has been the cause of the creation of the ozone hole, which was first detected in the Southern Hemisphere over Antarctica and then over the Northern Hemisphere.
Broader concept
Entry terms
- Cl
Scope note
- US LTER controlled vocabulary
Creator
- herbert.schentz@umweltbundesamt.at
In other languages
Arabic
- الكلور
Bulgarian
- Хлор
Croatian
- klor
Czech
- chlór
Danish
- klor
Dutch
- chloor
Estonian
- kloor
Finnish
- kloori
French
- chlore
German
- Chlor
Greek
- χλώριο
Hungarian
- klór
Italian
- cloro
Latvian
- hlors
Lithuanian
- chloras
Norwegian
- klor
Polish
- chlor
Portuguese
- cloro
Romanian
- clor
Slovak
- chlór
Slovenian
- klor
Spanish
- cloro
Swedish
- klor
URI
http://vocabs.lter-europe.net/EnvThes/20819