Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 69 



oxalate of potash and ammonia j sulphuric acid converts it into 

 sulphate of ammonia, carbonic acid and carbonic oxide :, .and these 

 changes appear to be effected by the addition of the vapour of water 

 in the proportions above stated. 



Many animal substances, such as albumen, gelatin, fibrin, &c., 

 act with potash precisely like oxamide, and the uric and hippuric 

 acids much resemble it in this respect. M. Dumas is occupied in 

 further researches on this subject. Ann. de Chirnie, June 1830. 



ON TWO KINDS OF FULMINATING GOLD. BY M. DUMAS. 



Basil Valentine long since described the remarkable properties of 

 fulminating gold. Three suppositions have been offered respecting 

 its nature : first, that it is an ammoniuret, or a compound of ammo- 

 nia and oxide of gold ; secondly, it has been considered as an azo- 

 turet, just as a chloride is produced by the mutual action of oxide of 

 gold and muriatic acid; and thirdly, it has been considered as ana- 

 logous to salts, the azoturet of gold acting as an acid and ammonia 

 as the base. 



One hundred parts of fulminating gold treated with oxide of cop- 

 per and also with oxide of lead, in the well-known manner, gave 

 from 9'7 to 9-9 of azote and 13 of water 5 the quantity of chlorine 

 was determined by that of the chloride of silver yielded by the 

 muriate of copper left after analysis j 100 of fulminating gold gave 

 4'5 of chlorine. The quantity of gold was found by mixing the 

 fulminating gold with ten times its weight of sulphur and gently 

 heating the mixture. When the sulphur is heated to about 302 Fahr. 

 the mass swells, gases are disengaged, and the vapour of sulphur 

 burns. When all the sulphur is expelled, the residue is heated to 

 redness, and pure gold remains, amounting to about 73 or 74 per 

 cent. The necessary corrections being made, fulminating gold ap- 

 pears to consist of 



Gold 



Azote .... 



Ammonia . . 



Chlorine . . . 



Water .... 



100-0 

 These are equivalent to 



By Experiment. 



Six atoms of gold =7458 or 73*6 - -73*00 



Twelve atoms of azote =1062 10'4- - 988 



Two atoms of chlorine = 442 4-3 - - 4'50 



Forty-two atoms of hydrogen = 263 2-6 - - 2'20 

 Nine atoms of oxygen = 900 9'1 - -10-42 



10125 100-0 J 00-00 



It results from the preceding researches that common fulminating 

 gold is a compound of two atoms of ammoniacal azoturet of gold and 

 one atom of ammoniacal subchloride of gold, with a sufficient quan- 

 tity 



