Isotopes of chlorine Isotopes of chlorine Chlorine (Cl) has 25 isotopes with mass numbers ranging from Cl to Cl and 2 isomers (Cl and Cl). There are two principal stable isotopes, Cl (75.78%) and Cl (24.22%), giving chlorine a standard atomic weight of 35.45. The longest-lived radioactive isotope is Cl, which has a half-life of 301,000 years. All other isotopes have half-lives under 1 hour, many less than one second. The shortest-lived are Cl and Cl, with half-lives less than 20 and 30 nanoseconds, respectively—the half-life of Cl is unknown. Bromine is the only other halogen with more than one stable isotope. Trace
Fluorine of the planned incendiary chlorine trifluoride and the Manhattan Project used huge quantities to produce uranium hexafluoride for uranium enrichment. Since is as corrosive as fluorine, gaseous diffusion plants required special materials: nickel for membranes, fluoropolymers for seals, and liquid fluorocarbons as coolants and lubricants. This burgeoning nuclear industry later drove post-war fluorochemical development. Fluorine has a rich chemistry, encompassing organic and inorganic domains. It combines with metals, nonmetals, metalloids, and most noble gases, and usually assumes an oxidation state of −1. Fluorine's high electron affinity results in a preference for ionic bonding; when it forms covalent bonds, these are