f)(y METHOD OF UNITING 



The compound Upon the whole then, I imagine, that, this compound 

 firft mentioned IS , ,. , , , . ,T ,~ , . * , 



of the oxide ; When lorraed under water, is nothing elle than a mixture ot the 



and the phof- oxide oF fulphuf and the oxide of phofphorus, and that phof- 



fulphurated phorated hydrogen gas, is not phofphorus dilTolved in hydrogen 



hidrogens con- gas, but a folution of the oxide of phofphorus in that fluid, 



tarn oxigen. ^^^^ ^j^^ ^^^^ ^^^ ^^ ^-^jj ^£ fulphurated hydrogen. It is not 



fulphur, but an oxide of fulphur that is diflblved. 

 Be^ metjiod of ' I fliall now proceed to mention what I confider as by far 

 forming It. ^j^g ^gf^ method of forming a jundion of fulphur and phof- 



phorus, and of afterwards converting them into oxides without 

 rifk or danger. 



When I firft began to examine the nature of the oxides of 



fulphur and phofphorus, the decompofition of water, and the 



efcape of its hydrogen only, at a low temperature, I imagined 



that I could etiedl the union of the two much better without 



the water. 



The mrxture I took a phial glafs and filled one third of it with the ufual 



heated in a phial proportions of fulphur and phofphorus, I tied a piece of ftrong 



perforated bladder over the mouth of the glafs, and made a fmall hole in 



iladder. jj- y^rith a pin. I expeded that after the phofphorus began to 



melt, probably it would fire with the fmall quantity of oxigen 



of the atmofpheric air in the phial, before the fulphur and 



phofphorus had joined. I therefore ufed the precaution of a 



fmall hole in the bladder to allow the efcape of the rarefied 



azotic gas. It did fire, and was followed by a trifling ex- 



plofion. 



The heat was by this fuddenly augmented, the union of the 



fulphur and phofphorus formed immediately, and nothing more 



particular happened. The heat, however, is raifed fo fudden* 



ly that if the phial is large it is very apt to break. I would 



not therefore recommend this to be tried by a young chemift 



without great caution. 



Explanation of Before going farther, I would now attempt to explain the 



Mr. Accum's accident that happened to Mr. Garden as related by Mr. Accum. 



aca ent. j,^^ compound of oxide of fulphur and phofphorus which he 



was melting with the phofphorus, had either not been tlio- 



roughly freed from water, which it is very difficult to do, and 



hence the explofion is eafily explained on the principles which 



I have already related ; or, allowing that there was no water, 



the phofphorus had been fired by the oxigen of the atmofpheric 



air in the upper part of the phial, at the wery moment of 



fliaking 



