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XIV. On fluid Chlorine. By M. Faraday, Chemical Assistant 
in the Royal Institution. Communicated by Sir H. Davy, Bart. 
Pres. R. S. 
Read March 13, 1823. 
It is well known that before the year 1810, the solid sub- 
stance obtained by exposing chlorine, as usually procured, to 
a low temperature, was considered as the gas itself reduced 
into that form ; and that Sir Humphry Davy first showed it 
to be a hydrate, the pure dry gas not being condensible even 
at a temperature of — 40° F. 
I took advantage of the late cold weather to procure crys- 
tals of this substance for the purpose of analysis. The results 
are contained in a short paper in the Quarterly Journal of 
Science, Vol. XV. Its composition is very nearly 27.7 chlo- 
rine, 72.3 water, or 1 proportional of chlorine, and 10 of 
water. 
The President of the Royal Society having honoured me 
by looking at these conclusions, suggested, that an exposure 
of the substance to heat under pressure, would probably lead 
to interesting results ; the following experiments were com- 
menced at his request. Some hydrate of chlorine was pre- 
pared, and being dried as well as could be by pressure in 
bibulous paper, was introduced into a sealed glass tube, the 
upper end of which was then hermetically closed. Being 
placed in water at 6o°, it underwent no change ; but when 
put into water at ioo°, the substance fused, the tube became 
