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Sodium chloride is edible. But elemental sodium and chlorine are highly reactive and poisonous. What is the difference? Solid sodium chloride is an ionic compound. This means it consists of positively charged sodium ions ($\ce{Na+}$) and negatively charged chloride ions ($\ce{Cl-}$) arranged in a cubic lattice.
Simple, the charges are what make raw elements different from compounds themselves. Sodium is a highly reactive element. When sodium comes in contact with water, it readily gives up it's electrons (most like the valence electrons), and creates the water it touches into hydrogen gases and oxides (gases). Chlorine, by itself is is highly reactive. Since it's higher up on the halogen group, this ...
Solvated chloride ions ($\ce{Cl-}$) are stable and not nearly as poisonous as chlorine gas. (Note: everything is poisonous at some level, i.e. "the poison is in the dose". In saying chlorine gas is more poison, that really just means it is a more 'potent' poison: it will kill at lower doses compared to chloride ions.)
Mixing bleach and ammonia is extremely dangerous, since many toxic vapors (nitrogen-chlorine species) will be produced. The primary toxic chemical formed by the reaction is chloramine vapor and hydrazine. (very, very toxic). The following is the list of chemical species produced by the reaction: $\ce{NH3}$ = ammonia $\ce{HCl}$ = hydrochloric acid
Though $\ce{AlCl3}$ is toxic, it reacts readily with water, forming the less toxic chlorohydrate (used in antiperspirants!), and the baking soda should leave an innocuous sludge, safe to dispose of in a sink. N.B.: The reaction is exothermic and bubbly, so use care when mixing in the $\ce{AlCl3}$ to avoids spatters.
Copper chloride (bluish colorant) Lithium and Calcium chlorides (red colorants) dissolve in ethanol fairly well. Yellow is pretty easy to get, even small addition of sodium salts (such as table salt) gives a bright yellow flame. It is actually a problem, as minor impurities of sodium may contaminate other colors with yellow.
See especially "Table 3. Comparison of toxic elements in Table Salt". A "Himalayan Pink Fine Mineral Salt" was found to have the highest level of cadmium and tied for first for the highest level of nickel. NaCl isn't molecular, but instead is a lattice of Na+ and Cl- ions. Other ions can lie within this lattice as impurities.
Does sodium chloride in gas state meet the following definition of molecule in the IUPAC gold book? An electrically neutral entity consisting of more than one atom (n>1). Rigorously, a molecule, in which n>1 must correspond to a depression on the potential energy surface that is deep enough to confine at least one vibrational state.
First, (equation 1), chlorine reacts with water to form hypochlorous acid (HOCl) and hydrochloric acid (HCl). These acids react (equation 2) with sodium chlorite to form chlorine dioxide, water, and sodium chloride (NaCl). The reason I included the instructions on the back of the bottle is because of two statements that I believe help this theory:
In fact there are sometimes other sodium salts present (anti-caking estimates such as Tivolex contain sodium) so this purity is a slight overestimate. One salt company (WA Salt supply) lists "typical" purities for the table salt it provides at 99.72%; this salt contains uses Tivolex.