. ▁ ▁Chem ical ▁experiments ▁From ▁an ▁early ▁age ▁W att ▁was ▁very ▁interested ▁in ▁chem istry . ▁In ▁late ▁ 1 7 8 6 , ▁while ▁in ▁Paris , ▁he ▁witness ed ▁an ▁experiment ▁by ▁Ber th ol let ▁in ▁which ▁he ▁react ed ▁hydro ch lor ic ▁acid ▁with ▁mang an ese ▁dio x ide ▁to ▁produce ▁ch lor ine . ▁He ▁had ▁already ▁found ▁that ▁an ▁a que ous ▁solution ▁of ▁ch lor ine ▁could ▁ble ach ▁text iles , ▁and ▁had ▁published ▁his ▁find ings , ▁which ▁ar oused ▁great ▁interest ▁among ▁many ▁potential ▁riv als . ▁When ▁W att ▁returned ▁to ▁Britain , ▁he ▁began ▁experiments ▁along ▁these ▁lines ▁with ▁hopes ▁of ▁finding ▁a ▁commer cially ▁vi able ▁process . ▁ ▁He ▁discovered ▁that ▁a ▁mixture ▁of ▁salt , ▁mang an ese ▁dio x ide ▁and ▁sul ph ur ic ▁acid ▁could ▁produce ▁ch lor ine , ▁which ▁W att ▁believed ▁might ▁be ▁a ▁che aper ▁method . ▁He ▁passed ▁the ▁ch lor ine ▁into ▁a ▁weak ▁solution ▁of ▁alk ali , ▁and ▁obtained ▁a ▁tur bid ▁solution ▁that ▁appeared ▁to ▁have ▁good ▁ble aching ▁properties . ▁He ▁soon ▁communic ated ▁these ▁results ▁to ▁James ▁Mc Gr ig or , ▁his ▁father - in - law , ▁who ▁was ▁a ▁ble acher ▁in ▁Glasgow . ▁Otherwise ▁he ▁tried ▁to ▁keep ▁his ▁method ▁a ▁secret . ▁ ▁With ▁Mc Gr ig or ▁and ▁his ▁wife ▁An nie , ▁he ▁started ▁to ▁scale ▁up ▁the ▁process , ▁and ▁in ▁March