atomic number 17

1. 1.

   a common nonmetallic element belonging to the halogens; best known as a heavy yellow irritating toxic gas; used to purify water and as a bleaching agent and disinfectant; occurs naturally only as a salt (as in sea water)

   SynonymschlorineCl

   Broaderchemical elementgashalogen

   Narrowerradiochlorine

Questions about atomic number 17

What does atomic number 17 mean?

atomic number 17 means "a common nonmetallic element belonging to the halogens; best known as a heavy yellow irritating toxic gas; used to purify water and as a bleaching agent and disinfectant; occurs naturally only as a salt (as in sea water)".

What is another word for atomic number 17?

Close synonyms include chlorine, Cl. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.

Is atomic number 17 a common word?

atomic number 17 is banded "Rare" — specialist or archaic — most readers will not have met it. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.