Labarraque's Disinfecting Soda Liquid. 82 



all alkaline, but with a persisting astringent biting effect upoa 

 the tongue. When applied to turmeric paper, it first i^ddened 

 and then bleached it. 



9. A portion of the solution (2) being boiled, gave out no 

 chlorine ; it seemed but little changed by the operation, having 

 the same peculiar taste, and nearly the same bleaching power 

 as before. This is a sufficient proof that the chlorine, though 

 in a state ready to bleach or disinfect, must not be considered 

 as in the ordinary state of solution, either in water or a saline 

 fluid ; for ebullition will freely carry off the chlorine under the 

 latter circumstances. 



10. A portion evaporated on the sandbath rather hastily, 

 gave a dry saline mass, quite unlike that left by the saturated 

 solution already described (6) ; and which, when dissolved, had 

 the same astringent taste as before, and bleached solution of 

 indigo very powerfully : when compared with an equal portion of 

 the unevaporated solution, which had beeii placed in the mean 

 time in the dark, its bleaching power upon diluted sulphate of 

 indigo was 30, that of the former being 76. Another portion, 

 evaporated in a still more careful manner, gave a mass of damp 

 crystals, which, when dissolved, had the taste, smell, and bleach- 

 ing power of the original solution, with almost equal strength. 



1 1. These experiments shewed sufficiently that the whole of 

 the chlorine had not acted upon the carbonate of soda to pro- 

 duce chloride of sodium, and chlorate of soda ; that much was 

 in a peculiar state of solution or union which enabled it to 

 withstand ebulUtion, and yet to act freely as a bleaching or dis- 

 infecting agent ; and that probably little or none had combined 

 with the sodium, or been converted into chloric acid. To put 

 these ideas to the test, two equal portions of the Labarraque 

 solution were taken ; one was put into a large tube, closed at 

 one extremity, diluted sulphuric acid was added till in excess, 

 and then air blown through the mixture by a long small open 

 tube, proceeding from the mouUi, for the purpose of carrying 

 off the chlorine ; the contents of the tube were then heated 

 nearly to the boihng point, air being continually passed through. 

 In this way all the chlorine which had combined with the car- 

 bonated alkali without decomposing it, was set free by the sul- 

 phuric acid, and carried off by the current of air and vapour, 

 whilst any which had acted chemically upon the alkali would. 



