430 M, Balard on the Nature of the [Dec. 



Atoms Employed. 



in,. 'J i 9 atoms metal 



o » ^^ '. ) 9 atoms oxide = J 



9 atoms cMonte = ^ • , - M^ chlorine 



( 9 ,. acid - ^ 2^ 



Atoms Produced. 



r r 24 atoms oxygen 



1 2 atoms oxide = ? 2 ,, metal 

 2 atoms chlorate =< C 2 



^2 .. acid = J ^ 



7 atoms chloride = J 



oxygen 



chlorine 



oxygen 



metal 



chlorine 



^10 



7 

 14 



If we join to these 7 atoms of chloride the 27 which were 

 mixed with the 9 atoms of chlorite in the decolourizing com- 

 pound, we should then have 34 chloride for 2 chlorate, or 

 17tol. 



But the supposition that chlorous acid is formed of 2 

 atoms chlorine + 2 oxygen, agrees also with these results. 

 The atomic composition may, therefore, be expressed as 

 follows : — 



Atoms Employed. 



f 9 atoms acid =ri^^t°°^«^^^^"°« 

 9 atoms chlorite< J I " oxygen 



) 9 ,. base=5 I " "^^*^^ 

 V. C 9 „ oxygen. 



Atoms Produced. 



It „ oxygen 



f latomacid=^ l " ^^^^^^^^ 



latomcUorate< \ J " ^^^^f" 



) 1 „ base=5 \ " "^^^^ 



V. ( 1 ,. oxygen 



8 „ metal 



16 ,, chlorine 



8 atoms chloride = I ^ " "'^^^ 



The 8 atoms of chloride formed, and the 9 with which 

 they were mixed, (admitting that the chlorous acid pos- 

 sesses the composition pointed out) make up the 17 of 

 chloride for 1 of chlorate observed by M. Morin. 



Previous experiments proved that, in the decolourizing 

 liquids which chlorine forms with the alkaline oxides, the 

 proportion of the elements is 1 atom oxygen + 2 chlorine ; 

 and in the hypothesis which considered the chlorine com- 

 bined with an oxide, the composition was expressed by 



It is evident that the same relation ought always to sub- 



