The Locomotive - Lighthouse Survival Blog

181>;{.J THE LOCOMOTIVE. l5
Bromine.
Bromine is a non-metallic element, and is one of the three known elements that are
liquid at ordinary teni|)eraturcs, mercury and gallium being the other two. (Gallium is
an exceedingly rare metal, occurring in minute cjuantities, in certain ores of zinc that are
found in the Pyrenees. It was discovered by Lecoi] dc Hoisbaudran in 1875. It melts at
86° Fall., and remains litjuid until cooled below 00° Fall. It is of no practical use, but
it possesses a high theoretical interest because a great Russian chemist had predicted its
e.vistence before it was discovered.) Bromine was discovered by Balard in 1820. It had
been previously obtained by both Liebig and Joss; but the former supposed it to be a
compound of iodine and chlorine, and the latter mistook it for sclenion. It is quite
volatile, and has a strong and irritating odor, from which circumstance it received its
name, hromos being the Greek word for "stench," or " bad smell." It is of a dark,
reddish brown color, almost black, and its vapor is yellowish red. It is poisonous, and
when dropped on the skin it produces ugly sores that are very difficult to heal.
Bromine solidities at 1U° Fah. into a grayish brown, crystalline solid, of a somewhat
metallic appearance; and at atmospheric pressure it boils at i;58° Fah. At 82° Fah. its
specific gravity is 3.1877. The specific heat of solid bromine is .0843, and the s[)ecifi