48 Mr. Faraday on two new compounds 
weakness of affinity between the two bodies, was pointed 
out by Sir H. Davy ; who, reasoning on the triple compound 
of chlorine, carbon, and hydrogen, concluded that the attrac- 
tion of the two bodies for each other was by no means feeble ; 
and the discovery of phosgene gas by Dr. Davy, in which 
chlorine and carbon are combined with oxygen, was another 
circumstance strongly in favour of this opinion. 
I was induced last summer to take up this subject, and 
have been so fortunate as to discover two chlorides of carbon, 
and a compound of iodine, carbon, and hydrogen, analogous 
in its nature to the triple compound of chlorine, carbon, and 
hydrogen, sometimes called chloric ether. I shall endeavour 
in the following pages to describe these substances, and give 
the experimental proofs of their nature. 
If chlorine and olefiant gas be mixed together, it is well 
known that condensation takes place, and a colourless limpid 
volatile fluid is produced, containing chlorine, carbon, and 
hydrogen. If the volumes of the two gases are equal, the 
condensation is perfect. If the olefiant gas is in excess, that 
excess is left unchanged. But if the chlorine is in excess, the 
fluid becomes of a yellow tint, and acid fumes are produced. 
This circumstance alone proves, that chlorine can take hydro- 
gen from the fluid ; and on examination, I found it was with- 
out the liberation of any carbon or chlorine. 
That the action thus began, might be carried to its utmost 
extent, some of the pure fluid (chloric ether) was put into a 
retort with chlorine, and exposed to sunshine. At the first in- 
stant of contact between the chlorine and the fluid, the latter 
became yellow ; but when in the sun’s rays, a few moments 
sufficed to destroy the colour both of the fluid and the chlorine, 
