Antoine-Jerome Balard. Portrait of Antoine-Jerome Balard (1802-76), French chemist. Balard taught at Montpellier University and in 1854 became prof- essor of chemistry at the College de France; Louis Pasteur was one of his pupils. Balard investigated salts dissolved in sea water and during his research in 1825 discovered bromine, named after bromos, the Greek for 'stink'. The similarity of bromine to iodine and chlorine suggested that there were 'families' of elements. In 1834 he worked on the chemistry of bleaching and isolated the two active agents, hypochlorous acid and chlorine monoxide. These work by oxidising dyes into chemicals with little or no pigment.