CHLORINE. 98 



the power which sulphurous acid has, of bleaching or 

 destroying colors, and also contagious matters. Chlo- 

 rine is, therefore, now largely used in all cases where 

 it is wished to destroy or remove color: it is however, 

 a very powerful agent, and therefore must be used 

 with great care, as otherwise if linen, for example, 

 be bleached carelessly by means of it, the texture is 

 destroyed, and the linen becomes rotten and useless. 

 Common writing-paper is often found to be quite 

 decayed aad useless, the rags from which it was 

 made having been too strongly bleached with chlorine. 



186. Small quantities of this gas are used with very 

 beneficial effects in removing foul smells, and other- 

 wise rendering sweet and wholesome the air of large 

 buildings, such as hospitals. Chlorine readily com- 

 bines with the metals, and most other of the elements, 

 to form a series of compounds called chlorides ; thus 

 corrosive sublimate is a chloride of mercury, &c. It 

 is unnecessary for us further to occupy ourselves with 

 this element than to know that when combined with 

 hydrogen it loses all these peculiar powers, and forms 

 a strong acid, the muriatic, which, by combining with 

 bases, forms a series of salts called muriates. 



187. When chlorine and hydrogen are mixed to- 

 gether in equal volumes, an explosive mixture is form- 

 ed, which, on the application of a flame, detonates 

 loudly, and is converted into muriatic acid gas. An 

 explosion is also caused if the mixture is exposed in 

 a glass vessel to sunshine, but if kept in the dark, no 

 combination takes place; if merely exposed to day- 



