1. IC2.32.4 Products from sodium chloride © Oxford University Press 2011 Products from sodium chloride

2. IC2.32.4 Products from sodium chloride © Oxford University Press 2011 Chlorine is one of the products of the electrolysis of brine. It is used to make bleach and plastics, and to kill bacteria in drinking water and swimming pools.

3. IC2.32.4 Products from sodium chloride © Oxford University Press 2011 It is an extremely useful chemical and huge amounts are produced each year. However, chlorine is a poisonous gas and does cause environmental problems.

4. IC2.32.4 Products from sodium chloride © Oxford University Press 2011 Some pesticides containing chlorine have been banned because they were poisoning fish and birds.

5. IC2.32.4 Products from sodium chloride © Oxford University Press 2011  Chlorine used to be used to make a group of compounds known as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).  CFCs were used in fridges and aerosols. They were also banned because they were found to be damaging the Earth’s ozone layer.

6. IC2.32.4 Products from sodium chloride © Oxford University Press 2011 Sodium hydroxide is the other major product of the electrolysis of brine. It is used to make soap.

7. IC2.32.4 Products from sodium chloride © Oxford University Press 2011 Sodium hydroxide is extremely corrosive and can cause severe burns.

8. IC2.32.4 Products from sodium chloride © Oxford University Press 2011 Like chlorine, sodium hydroxide can cause problems if it gets into the environment. It can contaminate water sources, poison fish and make water unfit to drink.