system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
Why is Chlorine so effective in killing anything alive?

What happens chemically and physically when an organism gets in contact with this substance? Why is so deadly?
gpt
Chlorine is a very effective oxidizing agent, meaning it is capable of oxidizing a lot of things while itself getting reduced in the process. Intuitively, this makes sense because the chlorine atom is very electronegative (meaning that it's happier existing as reduced Cl- anions as opposed to neutral Cl in Cl2). Chlorine also has a very positive standard reduction potential, meaning that it is capable of reducing anything with a lower potential, which just so happens to be most things. Because of this, chlorine can attack a huge variety of molecules, including most carbon-based compounds. Thus, it can effectively destroy living things.