Chlorine gas, often represented by the chemical symbol \( \text{Cl}_2 \), is a diatomic molecule composed of two chlorine atoms. It is a greenish-yellow gas at room temperature and is well-known for its pungent odor. Chlorine is widely used in the manufacture of everyday products, including disinfectants and bleach, as well as in water treatment.
As a gas, chlorine follows the fundamental principles of gas laws, which describe how gases behave under different conditions of temperature, pressure, and volume. One of the key characteristics of gases, including chlorine, is that they fill the shape of the container they are in, meaning they don't have a fixed volume.
- Chlorine gas has a molar mass of \( 70.906 \text{ g/mol} \).
- It participates in various chemical reactions, and being a gas, it diffuses quickly into the environment.
- Safety is essential when handling chlorine gas due to its reactive nature and potential health hazard upon inhalation.
Understanding these properties of chlorine gas helps us apply gas laws effectively when dealing with real-world problems of gas expansion and reaction.