The paper reviews the chemical composition of gases in the coma of Comet Halley obtained from in situ and remote observations. Water vapor with an abundance of about 80 percent by number is found to be the dominant parent gas. Carbon monoxide is the second most abundant molecule, with about one-seventh of the water abundance. The other expected parent gases - carbon dioxide, methane, and ammonia - contributed with at most a few percent to the coma gas. Molecular nitrogen is found to be a minor species, with an abundance of less than 1 percent. Halley's isotope ratio is comparable to the values found in other solar system objects poor in hydrogen, but distinctly different from the protosolar nebula and objects that accreted hydrogen in gaseous form. Volatiles released from grains contribute noticeably to the coma gas.
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