276 A Comparison of the Old and New Theories [Aprir, 
namely, one volume of chlorine with one or with five volumes of 
oxygen. The oxide is called euchlorine, and the highest degree of 
oxidizement is called chloric acid. In these compounds there are 
two very remarkable circumstances : 1. It is very striking that chlo- 
rine, an elementary body, should be so very similar in its proper- 
ties, as colour, smell, solubility in water, &c. to its first oxide, that 
for many years they were not distinguished. This fact is unfavour- 
ble to the new opinion; for it is reasonable to suppose that two so 
similar bodies are contiguous oxides of the same base. 2. The leap 
from one volume to five, which chlorine makes at once, when we 
compare it with other combustible bodies, is without example. We 
are acquainted with no oxides in which one volume of the base is 
combined with five volumes of oxygen; and from what we know of 
the corpuscular theory, we may conjecture that such a compound 
does not exist. * 
The degrees of oxidation of chlorine, according to the old 
opinion, corrected by means of the doctrine of definite proportions, 
are as follows: 1. M@uriatic acid, composed of 1 volume base + 2 
volumes oxygen. 2. Oxymurialic acid (super-oxidum muriatosum), 
composed of one volume base with three volumes oxygen. 3. Eu- 
chlorine (super-oxidum muriaticum), composed of 1 volume base + 
4 volumes oxygen. 4. Hyper-oxymuriatic acid (acidum oxymu- 
riaticum), composed of ] volume base + 8 volumes oxygen. These 
not only agree perfectly with each other, but are likewise in the 
greatest harmony with the definite proportions of muriatic acid in 
the simple, double, neutral, and sub-salts. From the old opinion, 
likewise, it may be deduced that the bleaching liquor obtained by 
passing oxymuriatic acid gas through a diluted solution of caustic 
potash is a compound of the base of muriatic acid with six volumes 
of oxygen, or an acidum oxymuriaiosum ; for that it is not a com- 
pound of oxymuriatic acid and potash, is evident from the quantity 
of common muriate of potash which is formed. From the above 
observations, it is obvious that the new opinion does not accord so 
well with the doctrine of definite proportions as the old one. 
3. Chlorine has a stronger Affinity for Combustible Bodies than 
Oxygen, and therefore separates them from that Substance. 
The electro-chemical discoveries of late years have rendered it 
highly probable that chemical affinity depends upon the electro- 
chemical properties of bodies, and is the greater the greater the 
electro-chemical opposition of the bodies united together. When a 
hody separates from another by simple elective affinity, and at the same 
time occasions an increase of temperature, it isa proof of a greater 
affinity, which is always proportional to the increase of temperature; 
and the increase of temperature itself appears to proceed from a 
* That nitric acid, which, according to some chemists, contains only five 
volumes of oxygen, in reality contains six volumes, I have shown by experiments, 
which cannot be inaccurate, unless a number of other experiments, very easily 
performed, be Jikewise erroneous, 
