Science Fair Project Encyclopedia The chloride ion is formed
when the element chlorine picks up one electron to form the
anion (negatively charged ion) Cl−. The salts of hydrochloric
acid HCl contain chloride ions and are also called chlorides. An
example is table salt, which is sodium chloride with the
chemical formula NaCl. In water, it dissolves into Na+ and Cl−
ions. The word chloride can also refer to a chemical compound in
which one or more chlorine atoms are covalently bonded in the
molecule. This means that chlorides can be either inorganic or
organic compounds. The simplest example of an inorganic
covalently bonded chloride is hydrogen chloride, HCl. A simple
example of an organic covalently bonded chloride is
chloromethane (CH3Cl), often called methyl chloride. Other
examples of inorganic covalently bonded chlorides which are used
as reactants are: - phosphorus trichloride, phosphorus
pentachloride, and thionyl chloride - all three are reactive
chlorinating reagents which have been used in a laborat