Prof. Schinbein on the Allotropic Modifications of Oxygen. 23 
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- 
oxyds, such as the peroxyd of barium and that of lead, on being 
acted upon by any oxy-acid, cannot produce the peroxyd of 
rogen; 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 do; and that is indeed the case. Mixtures of the 
peroxyds just mentioned and acetic or nitrie acids, are readily 
converted into the acetates or nitrates of baryta and protoxyd 
of manganese, the active oxygen of both the peroxyds 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 peroxyd of hydrogen, what happens? A 
very lively disengagement of inactive oxygen takes place, the 
color and the odor of the bromine solution disappear, the liquid 
comes sour, and on adding some aqueous chlorine to it, bromine 
reappears. From hence we are allowed to conclude, that, on 
ringing bromine into contact with peroxyd of hydrogen, some 
so-called hydrobromic acid is produced. The hypothesis at 
present prevailing cannot account for the formation of that aci 
otherwise than by admitting that bromine takes up the hydrogen 
of HO?, eliminating the two equivalents of oxygen united to H. 
I, of course, take another view of the case; bromine is to me an 
ozonid like peroxyd of lead, &c., 2 ¢., the peroxyd of bromium 
=Br0+(—0). Now HO+(+0) and BrO+(—06) catalyze each 
other into HO, BrO, and inactive oxygen, BrO+HO forming 
hydrobromic acid, or what might more properly be called hy- 
drate of bromiatic acid. 
It will be perceived that Iam growing more and more hard- 
ened in my heretical notions, or, to speak more correctly, in my 
orthodox views; for it was Davy who acted the part of a here- 
tie in overthrowing the old, venerable, true creed. Indeed the 
longer I compare the new and old doctrine on the nature of 
chlorine, &c., with the whole material of chemical facts bearing 
upon them, the less I am able to conceive how Davy could so 
lightly and slightly handle the heavy ha of analogies which, 
i my opinion, speak so very strongly and decisively in favor of 
Berthollet’s views. There is no doubt Sir umphrey was a man 
of great genius, and consequently very imaginative; but I am 
L incli reli by a certain wantonness, or by 
dint of that transcendent faculty of his mind, he was seduced to 
