of chlorine and carbonic. 6g 
decomposing action at temperatures at, or below, the boiling 
point of the chloride. The hot solution of sulphur becomes 
a solid crystalline mass by cooling. Phosphorus decomposes 
it at a red heat. 
Its action on metals is very similar to that of the perchlo- 
ride. When passed over them at a red heat, it forms chlo- 
rides, and liberates charcoal. Potassium does not act on it 
immediately at common temperatures ; but, when heated in 
its vapour, burns brilliantly, and deposits charcoal. 
When passed over heated metallic oxides, chlorides of the 
metals are formed, and carbonic oxide, or carbonic acid, ac- 
cording to the state of oxidation of the metal. When its 
vapour is transmitted over heated lime, baryta, or strontia, 
the same brilliant combustion is produced as with the per- 
chloride. 
Whilst engaged in analyzing this chloride of carbon, for 
the purpose of ascertaining the proportions of its elements, I 
endeavoured, at first, to find how much chlorine was liberated 
from a certain weight of perchloride during its conversion 
into proto-chloride, and for this purpose distilled the per- 
chloride through red hot tubes into solution of nitrate of 
silver, receiving the gas into tubes filled with and immersed 
in the same solution ; but I could never get accurate results 
in this way, from the difficulty of producing a complete 
decomposition, and also from the formation of chloric acid. 
5 grains of perchloride distilled in this manner gave 4.3 
grains of chloride of silver, which are equivalent to 1.06 
grains of chlorine ; but some of the chloride evidently passed 
undecomposed, and crystallized in the tube. 
2.7 grains of the pure proto-chloride were passed over red 
