XATURE OF THE BLEACHING COMPOUNDS OF CHLORINE. 289 



bustible ; and the oxygen, seizing the most electro-positive of the two, 

 leaves to the chlorine the most electro-negative. It is in this way, for 

 example, that it takes place in the action of chlorous acid upon bicar- 

 buretted hydrogen and ammonia. In other cases, the chlorine com- 

 bines well with one portion of the electro-negative element, but it dis- 

 engages a portion which is larger according as the temperature is 

 higher. When it reaches incandescence, the two elements of the com- 

 pound combustible are almost totally burnt by the oxygen, as if the 

 affinity of oxygen for bodies increased with the temperature in a higher 

 ratio than than of chlorine for them. 



It may nevertheless be supposed that the composition of chlorous 

 acid is such, that the electro-negative element of the compound com- 

 bustible being saturated with chlorine, an excess of this gas may re- 

 main ; but this is not the case. On comparing its composition, which 

 I shall hereafter state, with that of phosphuretted hydrogen, for ex- 

 ample, even admitting that all the hydrogen is burnt by the oxygen, 

 the chlorine is insufficient to combine with the phosphorus. Yet in 

 this decomposition a large proportion of this gas is set free, which ap- 

 pears to me to render it very probable that in this case, as in the greater 

 part of others, it is with the oxygen of chlorous acid that the elements 

 of the compound combustible are both combined. 



It is easy to foresee, according to this, how chlorous acid must act 

 with the combinations of oxygen Avhich are not saturated with this 

 principle. These combinations are almost always carried to the high- 

 est degree of oxigenation, and the chlorine set free is disengaged in 

 the gaseous form. 



There are some, however, which do not appear to be altered by chlo- 

 rous acid, as the oxide of carbon : but, on the contrary, it exerts most 

 energetic action on oxalic acid ; a fragment of this acid, when thrown 

 into moderately concentrated chlorous acid, occasions an intense emis- 

 sion of light, and a very strong eifervescence produced by the disen- 

 gagement of a mixture of carbonic acid and chlorine, as might be ex- 

 pected. 



Nor does the first degree of oxidation of azote appear susceptible of 

 being acted upon by chlorous acid ; but all the other oxigenated com- 

 binations of this gas, the deutoxide of azote, nitroxis vapours, hypo- 

 nitrous acid, fuming nitric acid impregnated either with hyponitrous 

 acid or deutoxide of azote, act very energetically upon chlorous acid. 

 Colourless nitric acid and chlorine gas are produced. 



In the series of oxigenated compounds of sulphur, the hyposulphuric 

 acid exhibits the same anomaly as that which characterizes the manner 

 in which oxide of carbon and protoxide of azote act with chlorous acid. 

 It is not altered by this oxigenating agent ; whereas sulphurous acid, 

 whether gaseous or liquid, is immediately converted by it into sulphuric 



