Montpellier, France/montpellier501
Previous | Home | NextOn top of "Le Site des Pierres Blanches" (Site of the white rocks), looking northward along the salt marshes. The Mediterranean Sea is to the right. Ancient salt works were once both north and south of this lookout. The village of Sète seen in the previous photo is to the left out of view, hidden by the hill and trees. Balard would walk to and from Sète, sleeping in a ditch along the way and teach his classes the next day. As described in exhibits in the Pharmacy Museum, Balard was interested in local algae (Fucus); he was curious if the Mediterranean species were the same as the Atlantic ones. When Balard reacted algae with chlorine water, he noticed a developing brown color, which he went on to discover was a new element bromine which existed in the sea salt in substantial quantity.
