CHLORINE. 155 



369. CHLORINE A DESTRUCTIVE AGENT. 



What is said . . 



of chlorine as Chlorine, as has been seen, is one of the 

 a destructive mogt destructive of all substances. It not 



agent 



only destroys colors and odors, but any 

 kind of vegetable or animal matter, long submitted to 

 its action, wastes away, and is destroyed. It does this 

 partly by its own direct action, and partly by letting 

 loose the atoms of nascent oxygen, as before described. 



370. IN WHAT SENSE DESTRUCTIVE. It 



In what sense 



is it destruct- is always to be borne in mind that the 

 term destruction is used in chemistry in an 

 entirely figurative sense. Thus, neither oxygen nor 

 chlorine, strictly speaking, destroy. They only com- 

 bine with the particles of the substances they seem to 

 destroy, forming new, and often invisible compounds. 

 Many of these will be hereafter mentioned. 



371. RELATIONS TO ANIMAL LIFE. Chlo- 



G-ive the rcla- . . 



tions of Mo- rine is a poisonous gas. No danger, how- 

 rmcto animal ever? ig to be appre h e nded from the escape 



of small portions into the air, during the 

 preceding experiments. The diluted gas, however, is 

 apt to produce irritation of the throat, and consequent 

 coughing, 



In what re- 372. RESEMBLANCE TO OXYGEN. In 



chTorinTre many respects chlorine is similar to oxy- 

 semble oxy- gen, as has already been shown. It com- 

 bines with almost all of the elements, and 

 with many compounds. This combination is often 

 attended with light and heat, and is therefore com- 

 bustion. The metal antimony, for example, as has 



