Chloride is the main anion present in the extracellular compartment. Chloride is absorbed in the small and large intestine and is secreted abundantly by the stomach.
The dietary reference value (DRV) for healthy adults (over the age of 18), including during pregnancy and lactation, is about 3 g of chloride per day.
This element was first isolated in 1774 by the Swiss-German chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele, by reacting hydrochloric acid with manganese (IV) oxide, which he thought contained oxygen.
Sir Humphry Davy investigated it in 1807 and eventually concluded not only that it was a simple substance, but that it was truly an element. He announced this in 1810 which he named chlorine and yet it took another ten years for some chemists finally to accept that chlorine really was an element. Today, most chlorine is produced through the electrolysis of aqueous sodium chloride (NaCl).
In 1810 AD chlorine was first used in water sterilization in limited areas and after obtaining amazing results in eliminating the pathogens of many diseases, it was widely used for sterilizing drinking water in Chicago, USA in 1908 AD.
The mid-19th century saw one of the most dramatic improvements in human health: Bleach began to be used as a disinfectant in hospitals, and chlorination of the water supply in London during a cholera outbreak in 1850 saved many lives.
History of chlorine
