The uses are as follows:
1. In the chemical industry, it is used to produce inorganic chemical products such as sodium hypochlorite, aluminum trichloride, ferric chloride, bleaching powder, bromine, phosphorus trichloride, etc. It is also used to produce organic chlorides, such as chloroacetic acid, epichlorohydrin, monochlorobenzene, etc. Also used in the production of neoprene, plastics and plasticizers. The daily chemical industry is used to produce sodium alkyl sulfonate and sodium alkyl benzene sulfonate, which are raw materials for synthetic detergents.
2. In the electronics industry, high-purity chlorine is mainly used for dry engraving, optical fibers, crystal growth and thermal oxidation in the electronics industry.
3. Used for sewage treatment in breweries. A Chinese patent discloses a method for treating brewery wastewater with chlorine. Chlorine is cheap, requires little, has reliable disinfection and mature technology. It is a commonly used disinfectant by water companies.
Chlorine can also deodorize and remove microorganisms. It also has a high removal rate of biological oxygen consumption and chemical oxygen consumption, which can ensure the stability of recycled water quality, so it is more suitable for the treatment of brewery sewage.
4. Disinfection of tap water. Chlorine is commonly used to disinfect tap water. About 0.002g of chlorine is introduced into 1L of water. The principle of disinfection is that it reacts with water to form hypochlorous acid. Its strong oxidizing properties kill bacteria in the water.
The reason why hypochlorous acid is not used directly to sterilize tap water is because hypochlorous acid is easy to decompose, difficult to preserve, has high cost, and is highly toxic. Disinfection with chlorine can dissolve hypochlorous acid in the water. , decomposition and synthesis reach a balance, the concentration is appropriate, and the residual toxicity in the water is less.
Extended information
Hazards of chlorine gas
Chlorine gas is a toxic gas that mainly invades the human body through the respiratory tract and dissolves in the water contained in the mucous membranes to form Hypochlorous acid and hydrochloric acid cause damage to the upper respiratory tract mucosa: hypochlorous acid causes the tissue to be strongly oxidized; hydrochloric acid stimulates inflammatory swelling of the mucosa, causing edema of the respiratory mucosa, secreting a large amount of mucus, and causing difficulty in breathing, so it is an obvious symptom of chlorine poisoning. A severe cough occurs.
When symptoms are severe, pulmonary edema will occur, making circulation difficult and leading to death. Chlorine gas entering the body through the esophagus can cause nausea, vomiting, chest pain and diarrhea. The maximum allowed chlorine content in 1L of air is 0.001 mg. Exceeding this amount will cause human poisoning. After inhalation, chlorine reacts with water in the mucous membranes and respiratory tract to form hydrogen chloride and new ecological oxygen.
Hydrogen chloride can cause inflammatory edema, congestion and necrosis of the upper respiratory tract mucosa; new ecological oxygen has a strong oxidizing effect on tissues and can form ozone with cytoplasmic toxicity. Too high a chlorine concentration or a long exposure time can often cause deep respiratory tract lesions, damage the bronchioles and alveoli, and lead to bronchiolitis, pneumonia and toxic pulmonary edema.
Due to the stimulating effect, local smooth muscle spasms aggravate ventilation disorders and aggravate hypoxic conditions; after inhalation of high-concentration chlorine, it can also stimulate the vagus nerve and cause reflex cardiac arrest. Artificial respiration cannot be performed in case of chlorine poisoning.
Reference: Baidu Encyclopedia - Chlorine