20 Taylor, Hypoiodous Acid and Hypoiodites. 



dilute acid immediately after shaking together the iodine 

 and the silver carbonate, a bleaching action was obtained 

 equal to from go to 95 °/ o of the theoretical amount. Sub- 

 sequently, I found that, with the aqueous solution of 

 iodine, nitrate of silver reacts perfectly well, producing a 

 bleaching liquid which gives all the reactions already 

 described, complicated a little by the presence of excess 

 of silver. The bleaching action, immediately after the 

 silver nitrate has been added, indicates 95 °/ o of the 

 theoretical amount. 



The solutions prepared by the use of these silver salts 

 are extremely unstable ; that made with the silver nitrate 

 loses 90 °/ o of its bleaching power on standing five minutes. 

 This I think may be attributed to the presence of silver in 

 the solution and to the tendency of the iodine and silver 

 to form the insoluble silver iodide. The solutions pre- 

 pared in this way are considerably more sluggish in their 

 bleaching action than the alkaline hypoiodites, but very 

 much more rapid than the free acid prepared by the 

 mercuric oxide method. If the explanation which I 

 suggested for the difference between the free acid and 

 Schonbein's solutions is correct, it seems to me that it 

 would apply in this case as well. There is silver present 

 in the solutions, and therefore when the bleaching is 

 finished the final product will be silver iodide, a much 

 more stable body than hydriodic acid. 



I have to thank Mr. G. P. Varley, B.Sc, and Mr. 

 J. H. Wolfenden, B.Sc, for assistance given me in some 

 portions of this work. 



Central Board School, Manchester. 



