Mr. Faraday on fluid chlorine. 163 
Presuming that I had now a right to consider the yellow 
fluid as pure chlorine in the liquid state, I proceeded to exa- 
mine its properties, as well as I could when obtained by heat 
from the hydrate. However obtained, it always appears very 
limpid and fluid, and excessively volatile at common pres- 
sure. A portion was cooled in its tube to o° : it remained 
fluid. The tube was then opened, when a part immediately 
flew off, leaving the rest so cooled by the evaporation as to 
remain a fluid under the atmospheric pressure. The tempe- 
rature could not have been higher than ■ — 40° in this case ; 
as Sir Humphry Davy has shown that dry chlorine does not 
condense at that temperature under common pressure. 
Another tube was opened at a temperature of 50° ; a part of 
the chlorine volatilised, and cooled the tube so much as to 
condense the atmospheric vapour on it as ice. 
A tube having the water at one end and the chlorine at the 
other was weighed, and then cut in two ; the chlorine imme- 
diately flew off, and the loss being ascertained was found to 
be 1.6 grains : the water left was examined and found to con- 
tain some chlorine : its weight was ascertained to be 5.4 grains. 
These proportions, however, must not be considered as indica- 
tive of the true composition of hydrate of chlorine ; for, from 
the mildness of the weather during the time when these expe- 
riments were made, it was impossible to collect the crystals 
of hydrate, press, and transfer them, without losing much 
chlorine ; and it is also impossible to separate the chlorine 
and water in the tube perfectly, or keep them separate, as 
the atmosphere within will combine with the water, and gra- 
dually reform the hydrate. 
Before cutting the tube, another tube had been prepared 
