DAVY, HUMPHRY - PROVING THAT CHLORINE IS AN ELEMENT.

Researches on the oxymuriatic Acid, its Nature and Combinations; and on the Elements of the muriatic Acid. With some Experiments on Sulphur and Phosphorus, made in the Laboratory of the Royal Institution. Read July 12, 1810. (+) The Bakerian Lecture. On some of the Combinations of Oxymuriatic Gas and Oxygene, and on the chemical Relations of these Principles, to inflammable Bodies. Read November 15, 1810. (2 papers).

(London, W. Bulmer and Co., 1810 a. 1811). 4to. No wrappers as extracted from "Philosophical Transactions" 1810 - Part I. Pp. 231-257 and 1811 - Part I. Pp. 1-35. Both papers clean and fine.

First appearance of these importent papers in the history of chemistry in which Davy announces his proofs of the elementary nature of clorine, describing the preparation, physical and chemical properties of a new gas, which he called 'euchlorine'. It is unstable and explodes on heating to give chlorine and oxygen. Davy here suggested the name 'chlorine', from a greek work for green, because of the greenish colour of the gas.

Thorpe said of this first paper "As a piece of induction, the memoir is a model of its kind, and as an exercise in "the scientific use of ofthe imagination" it has few equals.

"Davy's researches on chlorine are of an importence comparable with those on the alkali metals. Chlorine, first discovered by Scheele, was regarded by him as a *dephlogisticated muriatic acid". As phlogiston was practically synonymous with with hydrogen to Scheele, this view was essentialy correct. Lavoisier, however, chiefly occupied with phenomena of combustion, assumed that chlorien was an oxide of an unknown "radical". Davy performed many experiments endeavouring to confirm the presence of oxygen and finally concluded that chlorine was an element."(A Source Book in Chemistry 1400-1900, p. 244).

Order-nr.: 42592