and on the Compound Nature of Chlorine, Bromine, ^c. 181 

 to the equation 

 2(MuO, HO) + MnO + = MuO, MnO + MuO, 9 -h2H0. 



As you will easily perceive, from these views it would follow 

 that, under proper circumstances, two opposite peroxides, on 

 being intimately and in the right proportion mixed together and 

 acted upon by muriatic acid, could yield neither chlorine nor 

 peroxide of hydrogen, but mere inactive oxygen. If somewhat 

 dilute muriatic acid be poured upon an intimate mixture of five 

 parts of peroxide of barium and two parts of peroxide of man- 

 ganese, the whole will be rapidly transformed into the muriates 

 of baryta and protoxide of manganese, the active oxygen of both 

 the peroxides being disengaged in the inactive condition, and 

 not a trace of free chlorine making its appearance. The same 

 result is obtained from dilute hydrobromic acid. 



Another consequence of my hypothesis is this : that an inti- 

 mate and correctly proportioned mixture of two opposite per- 

 oxides, such as the peroxide of barium and that of lead, on being 

 acted upon by any oxy-acid, cannot produce the peroxide of 

 hydrogen ; or, to express the same thing in other terms, muriatic 

 acid must act upon the said mixture exactly in the same way as 

 the oxy-acids doj and that is indeed the case. Mixtures of the 

 peroxides just mentioned and acetic or nitric acids, are readily 

 converted into the acetates or nitrates of baryta and protoxide 

 of manganese, the active oxygen of both the peroxides being of 

 course disengaged in the inactive condition. 



Before I close my long story I must mention one fact more, 

 which, in my opinion, is certainly a very curious one. If you 

 mix an aqueous and concentrated solution of bromine with a 

 sufficient quantity of peroxide of hydrogen, what happens ? A 

 very lively disengagement of inactive oxygen takes place, the 

 colour and the odour of the bromine solution disappear, the 

 liquid becomes sour, and on adding some aqueous chlorine to it, 

 bromine reappears. From hence we are allowed to conclude, 

 that, on bringing bromine in contact with peroxide of hydrogen, 

 some so-called hydrobromic acid is produced. The hypothesis 

 at present prevailing cannot account for the formation of that 

 acid otherwise than by admitting that bromine takes up the 

 hydrogen of HO^, eliminating the two equivalents of oxygen 

 united to U. I, of course, take another view of the case ; bro- 

 mine is to me an ozonide like peroxide of lead, &c., i. e. the 

 peroxide of bromium = BrO + 9. Now HO + 9 and BrO + 9 

 catalyze each other into HO, BrO, and inactive oxygen, 

 BrO -I- HO forming hydrobromic acid, or what might more 

 properly be called hydrate of bromiatic acid. 



You sec that I am growing more and more hardened in my 



