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Without sodium chloride (salt), there would be no life. Life began in the ocean, a largest repository of salt which is derived from the weathering of the continents.
Sodium chloride literally keeps our bodies from drying up, moves our muscles, makes our meals matter, and attacks germs to keep us healthy.
Our body's cells exist in a sea of fluid. This extracellular body fluid is mostly water, along with the charged atoms (ions) of sodium and chloride. Chloride plays an essential role in a delicate balancing act: providing for the electrical neutrality and the correct pressure of body fluids, and keeping the acid-base balance of the body.
One result of this balancing act is that the amount of water we retain and concentrations of salt in our bodies remain relatively constant over time. We don't dry up nor do we bloat uncontrollably. When changes occur, the balance reasserts itself. For example, after heavy exercise and perspiration the body requires salt; and we are usually thirsty after eating salty food.
Human Body: Muscles
Sodium ions play an important role in our body's communication system. The nimbleness of a world class pianist or the dexterity of an Olympian athlete depend on the inner working of the central nervous system. Sodium ions are vital to the transmission of impulses from our brains to our muscles through the complex network of nerve cells.
On the flip side are the chloride ions, which assist in balancing the electrical charges throughout our nervous system.
Human Body: Digestive System
Chloride ions are building blocks of hydrochloric acid, which is essential to our digestive system. Hydrochloric acid made in the stomach has two main purposes: to help destroy germs that arrived with the food; and to help pepsin, an enzyme, break down the proteins found in the food stuffs, ensuring that essential nutrients are made available to the body.
Human Body: Immune System
In the immune system, which is charged with fighting off the daily invasion of germs, chlorine is there to lend a hand. When infections take place, hypochlorite -- a chlorine-containing compound which is a well-known disinfectant -- forms in white blood cells. Hypochlorite itself attacks the germs, or helps to activate other agents that do the work.
Everyday Life
Probably the most familiar everyday use of chlorine is table salt, or sodium chloride. But as one of the major "building blocks" of industrial production, nearly all manufactured products benefit in some way from chlorine.
From the ground up, many homes are constructed and decorated with chlorine-related products like concrete, house paint, fiberglass insulation, and nylon carpeting, as well as vinyl siding, windows, Plumbing pipes, and floor tiles.
Chlorine helps make automobiles safer, more efficient, and more comfortable as a component in the manufacture of seat belts, air bags, upholstery, bumpers, floor mats, dashboards and other plastic items, fan and alternator belts, hoses, gaskets, seals, gasoline additives, brake and transmission fluids, anti-freeze, and air conditioning systems.
The modern-day office depends on chlorine for many electronic devices, such as microprocessors, telephones and computer disks, and plastic housings for computers and keyboards.
Even recreational activities depend on chlorine chemistry. Vinyl soccer balls, Golf bags, nylon tents and water-proof jackets, wet suits and inflatable rafts, surfboards, tennis rackets, football helmets, and hundreds of toys are just a few of the items that need chlorine for their manufacture.
The most common method of making chlorine is by passing an electric current through a saltwater solution. The solution separates into chlorine and two other useful products: sodium hydroxide -- also known as caustic soda or lye -- and hydrogen.
Every year, approximately 13.6 million metric tons of chlorine are produced in North America.
Data source: Tecnon OrbiChem, UK (2006)
The greatest volume of North American chlorine, about 40 percent, is used in the production of polyvinyl chloride, PVC, a low-cost, versatile plastic used to construct everything from water pipes and home siding to appliance parts and food storage containers. About 37percent of chlorine produced in North America is used to produce other organic compounds, including basic chemicals needed for manufacturing, and solvents for metalworking, dry cleaning, and electronics. Roughly 4 percent of North American chlorine is used for water treatment. Other inorganic uses of chlorine include producing hydrochloric acid for myriad chemical processes and titanium dioxide, a popular white pigment.
In countless industrial processes, there's simply no cost-effective, safe substitute for chlorinated compounds.
What else can I help you with?
What are the 13 most common elements in the human body?
The 13 most common elements in the human body are oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, sodium, chlorine, magnesium, iron, and zinc. These elements make up about 99% of the body's mass.
What does chlorine do for your body?
Chlorine is a NESECCARY element to have in your body. When you are swimming in a pool and swallow chlorine, you may hate it and never want to see or hear of it again. But in your body, it must be present. Lack of it can cause: muscle weakness, loss of appetite, dehydration or come(very rare!). It is essential to life and the human body. Yo can take more in by eating natural, enprocessed foods, or by eating table salt(which is very full of chlorine, so don't have to much of it! Everything in your body is important, but you want to keep it balanced; not to much or to less).
Why is bromine important to your body?
Bromine is not considered essential for the human body and does not play a known biological role. In fact, high levels of bromine exposure can be toxic and harmful to health. It is mainly used in manufacturing processes and not as a vital nutrient for human health.
Why is sodium and chlorine edible when mixed together?
Sodium and chlorine combine to form sodium chloride, which is table salt. When mixed together, sodium and chlorine ions form a stable compound that is safe for human consumption. Sodium chloride is essential for health and is not harmful unless consumed in excessive amounts.
Chlorine is found in living things?
Chlorine (Cl2) gas is found in nature and it is necessary to most forms of life (including humans). However, chlorine is a powerful oxidant and it is a toxic gas in certain concentrations. The problem is that if a human inhales too much chlorine it becomes fatal. The chlorine reacts in the lungs with water molecules and cells forming hydrochloric acid (HCl), which is fatal in humans. Here is some reactions in the human body depending on the concetrations:ppm = parts per million30 ppm of chlorine ----> coughing and vomiting60 ppm of chlorine ----> lung damageabove 100ppm ---------> fatal after a few deep breaths
How much chlorine is in the human body?
The average adult human body contains about 95 grams of chlorine, mainly found in the form of chloride ions in bodily fluids such as blood and digestive juices. Chlorine is an essential electrolyte that helps maintain fluid balance, transmit nerve impulses, and regulate pH levels in the body.
What is the importance of ions in the human body?
by the cells
What happens if human body gets too much chlorine?
you die
What is the importance of vegetables in our diet?
The importance of vegetables in our diet is to help provide the human body with vitamins. The human body needs vitamins in order to function properly.
What is the importance of the human body?
To allow humans to live.
Importance of buffers in the human body?
i wish i knew
What is biochemical importance of glucose in human body?
energy
What is the biological importance of ions in human body?
by the cells
What is the importance of cells to the body?
Without cells a human body can't function.
What is the importance of liver in human body?
it helps the human body digest food and can reproduce cells that have been hurt/injured.
What is the importance of soda water to the human body?
Soda water principally contains sodium chloride in its elemental form. The Sodium(Na) and Chlorine(Cl) are the minerals which act as transmitters in the ion gated channels in the human body. They help in transmission of impulse along the body cells. They also help in maintaining the turgor pressure of the cells and hence beneficial in osmo-regulation.
What is the role that the chlorine plays in the human body?
A necessary part of human biochemisty is table salt, sodium chloride, which of course is a compound of sodium and chlorine. It is the sodium which the body uses, but the chlorine gives us a usable ionized form of sodium.
