Bromine is a halogen element which has the atomic number 35, an average atomic weight of 79.9, and is designated by the atomic symbol Br. It is a deep red liquid with a melting point of 19.4°F (-7.2°C) and a boiling point of 137.84°F (58.8°C). It changes to a gas easily at room temperatures. The reddish vapor that is formed has a strong and disagreeable odor. This property explains the origin of the element's name, which came from bromos, the Greek word for "stench." Bromine vapors are very irritating to the eyes and throat.

Credit for the discovery of bromine might well be divided between two men, Carl Löwig (1803-1890) and Antoine-Jérôme Balard (1802-1876). In point of time, Löwig may have observed the chemical element first. A new student at the Chemical Laboratory at Heidelberg, Germany, in...