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} Your Friend The Chlorine Atom
}
} You probably know about the chemical element Oxygen. Maybe you
} also know about Iron and Copper and Steel and Aluminum - they're
} all elements as well. But I bet not one out of your entire room
} of classmates knows about the element Chlorine. Keep reading, and
} you'll be able to amaze your friends with some cool facts.
}
} Did you know that without Chlorine, you would die? It's true.
} That's because half your body weight is made up of Salt, the white
} powder in the shaker on your kitchen table, or the dining room table
} if your parents are rich. Without Salt, you'd shrivel up like an
} old prune, or maybe like the leather on your Sunday best shoes.
} (Sabbath if you are Jewish. Or whatever you dress up for if you
} are Chinese.) And do you know what Salt atoms are made up of?
} Sodium and Calcium, which together is called Sodium Chloride.
} Chlorine and Chloride are simply different flavors of the same
} thing - Chlorine is kind of sour, while Chloride is (obviously)
} salty tasting.
}
} But that's not all that Clorine is good for. There's fun stuff
} too. Did you know you can make acid with it? No, not the kind
} hippies take, and not weak acid like vinegar or beer either, I mean
} the kind that totally can burn up stuff, like your report card if
} you-know-who is planning to ground you for the summer. You combine
} Hydrogen (which is half of the chemical element Water) with Calcium
} and you get Hydrogen Chlorine, which is used in car batteries to
} burn up Led (that's another chemical element) to make electricity.
} Get your older brother to open up the hood of your dad's car, and
} use a straw to suck out some of the Hydrogen Clhorine juice from
} the battery, and try some science experiments of your own! See how
} much is needed to make the petals fall off of your mom's roses,
} for instance. Don't drink it yourself though - it's poison and
} would kill you, at least if you're a sissy and can't take much
} in the way of physical punishment.
}
} Chlourines are also very important for many of the chemicals used
} in industry. Adding them to Carbon (the chemical name of charcoal)
} for instance makes other kinds of poison that taste much better
} than acid and yet will kill all that it touches or comes within
} a mile of. As stated on Wikipedia or somewhere like that: "When
} chlorine is chemically reacted into carbon-structured organic
} compounds to make chlorocarbons, the carbon and chlorine atoms
} bind to each other by mutually sharing electrons in their outer
} shells. This arrangement adversely affects human metabolism
} because our mitochondrial and cellular enzyme systems are designed
} to completely utilize organic molecules containing carbon, hydrogen,
} oxygen, nitrogen, and other compatible nutritional elements."
} Really makes you stop and think, doesn't it?
}
} But we can leave that poindexter stuff to the scientists. They
} are working on how to combine the Chorline molecule with other
} elements like Iron or Plastic, to create wonder drugs and amazing
} new cell phones that float in the air, one supposes. That's what
} makes it so important to study Science, so you can help contribute
} to these miracles of Science that would not be possible if you
} didn't study subjects like Math and Science and Chemistry! The
} world is getting pretty scientific so you'd better keep up. And
} Chlarine is part of science.
}
} One final tip. Don't EVER mix bleach and ammonia. The Clhourine
} that is in ammonia will fight it out with whatever is in the
} bleach and make a stink that you won't soon forget. This author
} heard about one kid who tried that, and they had to call the
} fire department who brought big fans, and boy did that kid get
} in trouble! Just say no.
}
} WHAT DID YOU LEARN?
} 1) Chlorine is made up of
} a) Oxygen
} b) Iron
} c) A blend of Chlorine atoms and Chlorine molecules
} d) Chloride
} 2) All acids are made by mixing
} a) Hydrogen and Chlorine
} b) Water and salt
} c) Battery juice and led
} d) Vinegar and Beer
} 3) Without which of these elements would you shrivel up like a
} prune or shoe leather (Sunday, Sabbath or Chinese)?
} a) Salt
} b) Chlorine
} b) Chlorine
} d) Vinegar and Beer
}
} USE WHAT YOU LEARNED
} 1) Try out the experiments listed in this chapter. Which one
} gets you in the most trouble?
} 2) You didn't try giving battery juice to your dog, did you?
} Because, that would be wrong.
} 3) If you did feed some to Fido and he died, then you won't be
} able to blame your mom's dead roses on him peeing on the bushes.
} So learn to think ahead!
} 4) Try mixing some Chlorine with other chemicals, and see if
} you get floating cell phones or something.
}
} You owe the Oracle a passing grade on Friday's test.
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