198 
Scientific Intelligence. 
II. CHEMISTRY. 
11. Condensation of' Gases into Liquids. — Mr Faraday has 
announced the important discovery, that various gases may be 
condensed into liquids. He succeeded first with chlorine , by 
the following method : A portion of the solid and dried hydrate 
was hermetically sealed in a small bent tube of glass. It was 
then heated to about 100° of Fahrenheit, and a yellow vapour 
was formed, which condensed into a deep yellow liquid, heavier 
than water (specific gravity about 1.3). By relieving the pres- 
sure, by breaking the tube, the condensed chlorine instantly as- 
sumed its gaseous form. By condensing perfectly dry chlorine 
into a tube by a syringe, a portion of it becomes liquid under 
4 or 5 atmospheres. Mr Faraday next put some muriate of 
ammonia and sulphuric acid into the opposite ends of a bent 
glass-tube, and sealing it hermetically, and allowing the acid to 
run upon the salt, muriatic acid was generated under such a 
pressure, that it assumed the liquid form. It has an orange 
colour, and is lighter than sulphuric acid, and whenever the 
pressure is removed, it assumes the gaseous form. By pursuing 
this method, sidphuretted hydrogen , sulphuric acid , carbonic 
acid , cyanogen , euchlorine , and nitrous oxide , have been con- 
verted into limpid fluids. Quart. Journ. xv. 74. 163. 
12. Hydrate of Chlorine. — In order to obtain good crystals 
of hydrate of chlorine, Mr Faraday introduceslnto a clean bottle 
of the gas a little water, but not so much as to convert the 
whole into hydrate. The bottle is then placed for a few days 
in a temperature at or below freezing, and the hydrate is pro- 
duced in a crust, or in dendritical crystals, which, when left to 
themselves for a few days, sublime, like camphor, from one part 
of the bottle to another, and form brilliant, and comparatively 
large crystals, of a bright yellow colour, and which seem to be 
acute flattened octohedrons, with the three axes of different di- 
mensions. Their specific gravity seemed to exceed 1.2. Mr 
Faraday found that these crystals consisted of 
Chlorine, - 26.3 
Water, - 73.6 
a result which is the mean of several experiments. Quart . 
...Journ, xv. 72- 
