Chlorine and its Compounds

Syllabus tag: KCSE | Chemistry | Form 3 | Topic 17 Chlorine and its Compounds

Lesson objectives

By the end of this topic, you should be able to:

• Describe the laboratory preparation and properties of chlorine.
• Explain the bleaching action of chlorine and its reactions with metals and non-metals.
• Describe the preparation and properties of hydrogen chloride.
• Describe the tests for chlorides and the uses of chlorine compounds.

Summary

Chlorine is a greenish-yellow, poisonous, denser-than-air gas prepared by oxidising concentrated hydrochloric acid. It bleaches damp litmus permanently by oxidation, and is a strong oxidising agent. Hydrogen chloride gives white fumes with ammonia and dissolves in water to give hydrochloric acid. Chlorides give a white precipitate with silver nitrate.