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chlorine vs. chloride

chlorine vs. chloride: What's the difference?

Chlorine refers to a halogen element of the periodic table. Chloride is formed from chlorine. It can either mean any compound with chlorine in it, or specifically a salt of hydrochloric acid consisting of two elements, one of which is chlorine. An example of a chloride is sodium chloride (salt).

chlorine

[ klawr-een, -in, klohr- ]
noun
  1. a halogen element, a heavy, greenish-yellow, incombustible, water-soluble, poisonous gas that is highly irritating to the respiratory organs, obtained chiefly by electrolysis of sodium chloride brine: used for water purification, in the making of bleaching powder, and in the manufacture both of chemicals that do not contain chlorine, as ethylene glycol, and of those that do. Symbol: Cl; atomic weight: 35.453; atomic number: 17.

chloride

[ klawr-ahyd, -id, klohr- ]
noun
  1. a salt of hydrochloric acid consisting of two elements, one of which is chlorine, as sodium chloride, NaCl.
  2. a compound containing chlorine, as methyl chloride, CH3Cl.