Is chlorine considered to be a compound or an element?

Chlorine by itself is an element. I mean what you see in the periodic table. It doesn't exist that way in nature. Nor does oxygen or nitrogen or hydrogen etc. All of them exist as diatomic molecules. There are chlorine ions, Cl-. read more

Chlorine gas, Cl2, is a molecule. The most common compound of chlorine is sodium chloride, NaCl (table salt.) All compounds are molecules but not all molecules are compounds. A compound consists of atoms or ions of two or more different elements in definite proportions joined by chemical bonds into a molecule. read more

Chlorine is an element on the periodic table. If you look, its average atomic mass is 35.5 amus. It would be a compound if it was 'connected' with. read more