Chloride

The chloride ion is formed when the element chlorine picks up one electron to form an anion (negatively-charged ion) Cl⁻. The salts of hydrochloric acid HCl contain chloride ions and can also be called chlorides.

Terminology

The word chloride can also refer to a chemical compound in which one or more chlorine atoms are covalently bonded in the molecule. This means that chlorides can be either inorganic or organic compounds. The simplest example of an inorganic covalently-bonded chloride is hydrogen chloride, HCl. A simple example of an organic covalently-bonded (an organochloride) chloride is chloromethane (CH₃Cl), often called methyl chloride.

Uses

In the petroleum industry, the chlorides are a closely monitored constituent of the mud system. The increase of the chlorides in the mud system could indicate the possibility of drilling into a high-pressure saltwater formation. Its increase can also indicate the poor quality of a target sand.

Chloride is also a useful and reliable chemical indicator of river / groundwater fecal contamination, as chloride is a non-reactive solute and ubiquitous to sewage & potable water.

Example

An example is table salt, which is sodium chloride with the chemical formula NaCl. In water, it dissolves into Na⁺ and Cl⁻ ions.

Examples of inorganic covalently-bonded chlorides that are used as reactants are:

• phosphorus trichloride, phosphorus pentachloride, and thionyl chloride, all three of which reactive chlorinating reagents that have been used in a laboratory
• disulfur dichloride (S₂Cl₂), used for vulcanization of rubber.

A chloride ion is also the prosthetic group present in the Amylase molecule.

Human health

Chloride is a chemical the human body needs for metabolism (the process of turning food into energy).^[1] It also helps keep the body's acid-base balance. The amount of chloride in the blood is carefully controlled by the kidneys. Further reading:Renal chloride reabsorption

References