50 Dr Davy's Observations on Euchlorine. 



on the fact, that the condensation of the gases in euchlorine is 

 not in accordance with the rule of condensation witnessed in the 

 combination of the gases generally. 



The latest and the ablest advocate of this latter opinion is M. 

 Soubeiran, who, in his elaborate and excellent paper, entitled 

 " Recherches sur quelques combinaisons du Chlore," publish- 

 ed in the 48th volume of the Annales de Chimie et de Phy- 

 sique, has brought forward some facts of an instructive kind, the 

 results of new experiments, and which are strongly in favour of 

 the view he takes. 



Yet, even M. Soubeiran's researches have not removed all 

 doubt ; this I felt in reading his paper, and I perceived from Mr 

 Johnston's Report on Chemistry, published in the Proceedings 

 of the Oxford meeting of the Association for the Advancement of 

 Science, that he has been similarly impressed. I have been in,^ 

 duced, therefore, to make some new experiments on the subject, 

 a few of the results of which I now beg leave to communicate, 

 trusting that they may be of some use in deciding the question 

 of the nature of this curious gas. 



The first point on which I wished to satisfy myself, was the 

 degree and kind of action of mercury on euchlorine, both being 

 doubtful. As a preliminary, I thought it right to try the ac- 

 tion of chlorine on this metal, for the sake of comparison. 



A retort charged with black oxide of manganese and muriatic 

 acid, had its beak plunged under mercury, a receiver full of 

 mercury being placed above it. As the gas was disengaged on 

 the application of heat, it was absorbed as it rose, so that, when 

 pure, very little of it reached the top of the jar, and that was 

 speedily absorbed, the thick crust which formed not preventing 

 it ; so rapid, indeed, was the absorption of the gas by the mer- 

 cury, that the mouth of the retort was several times clogged, 

 rendering it necessary to introduce a wire, to clear the passage. 

 The thick crust, the result of the absorption, of a very light- 

 gray colour, and not soiling the fingers, was a mixture of calomel 

 and corrosive sublimate. 



To try the effect of euchlorine on mercury,, the same appara- 

 tus was used, excepting that the retort was very much smaller, 

 and charged with chlorate of potash, and muriatic acid diluted 

 with an equal volume of water. A large quantity of gas was 



