SULPHUR AND PHOSPHORUS. 5^ 



If you take the velTel of the fire juft when the white fumes The white 

 have filled the flafk, but, before they begin (o iflue from its bea'lIiTfully lumi- 

 mouth, and place it in a dark room without fliaking it in the nous in the dark, 

 Jeaft, the whole fpace above the water which is filled with the f^ ^"y "^'"S^ 

 denie white fumes, has a beautiful appearance, like an aurora pear, 

 borealis. At this time very frequently, though not always, 

 bubbles of phofphorated hydrogen gas, or rather fulphur 

 phofphorated hydrogen gas, if I may be allowed the term, 

 efcape and take fire on coming in contact with the external 

 ^ir, forming a beautiful white ring of fmoke rifing to the 

 deling of the room,— juft fuch as happens from the decom- 

 pofition of water by means of phofphuret of lime or potalh. 



Now what is the change produced during this formation? In this procefs. 

 That the water is decompofed, is abundantly evident. But water is decom- 

 while the hydrogen of the water efcapes, what becomes of its pofed, the 

 oxigen ? If the oxigen were ^Ifo allowed to efcape, we (hould ^^Jf'^'^ ^^ ^°^ 

 leel itS'prelence, from explofion after explofion taking place, 

 immediately after it left the water along with the hydrogen, 

 united with as much phofphorus as is fufficient to fire the two. 



The firing, however, only happens after the fulphur phof- It is employed 

 phorated hydrogen reaches the external air, or when the de- b^ggl'^'"^ ^^^ 

 compofition goes on very rapidly from a high temperature, 

 and fafter than the oxigen can be difpofed of. From all thefe 

 fads taken together, I believe it mufi be pretty obvious, that 

 the compound which we form of fulphur and phofphorus under 

 water, is not of pure fulphur and phofphorus, but of their 

 oxides. That is, during the junction of fulphur and phof- 

 phorus by heat under water, part of the water is decompofed, 

 the hydrogen efcapes after engroffing a fmall portion of fulphur 

 and p)iofphorus, while the oxigen unites with the fulphur or 

 phofphorus, or both, converting them into an oxide of fulphur 

 and phofphorus. This will be found farther confirmed from which oxide Is 

 confidering the nature of this compound. It is very inflara- ^aWe thaiTthc 

 mable, much more fo than a compound of pure fulphur and fimplecom- 

 phofphorus formed by another method which I Ihall defcribe P^""'** 

 ty and by; but which may be converted into an oxide by a 

 very fim pie procefs, which I (hall alfo point out; then it becomes 

 pne of the moil inflammable bodies with which I am acquaint-"" 

 ed. Farther the compound of oxide of fulphur and phof- Phofphorus and 



I phorus, does not decompofe cold water fo far as I have been ^"^P^"'"'l^ ^^^ 

 *' 1 1 , • ' , , , . r. decompofe water 



^ble to perceive, though the contrary is faid by Mr. Accum ; unlefs heated. 



\,^ni it will decompofe the water if heated. 



Upon 



