Chlorine-36
Common Use
- One of the most common use for chlorine-36 is dating old groundwater
- They take groundwater samples and measure how much chlorine-36 is in the water to date it
- Chlorine-36 is also used to trace the flow of ground water
Basics About Chlorine-36
- Chlorine-36 is a simple and rare radioactive-isotope that has 17 protons, 19 neutrons, and 17 electrons.
- It has a mass of 35.9683069 and has a half-life of 301,000 years
Fun Facts
How It's Created
- Chlorine is mostly created naturally in the atmosphere from gamma rays hitting argon
- Chlorine-36 was also created through nuclear weapons testing
- In 1774, chlorine was discovered by Carl William Scheele and it’s name means pale green in Greek.
- Chlorine was used as a chemical weapon in World War I
Chlorine-36 Health Hazards
- Chlorine-36 is slighty radioactive
- Chlorine-36 when concentrated is toxic to the respiratory system and irritates the eyes and skin