^'J'O COMBINATION OF OXIMURIATIC GAS AND OXIG£N« 



was disengaged, and sonae oximuriatic gas formed. Find- 

 ing that, in the cases when it was most pure, it scarcely 

 acted upon mercury, I attempted to separate the oximuri- 

 riatic gaswitlj which it is mixed, by agitation in a tube with 

 this metal ; corosive sublimate formed, and an elabtic fluid 

 was obtained, which was almost entirely absorbed by ^ of 

 its volume of water. 

 Dangerous. This gas in its pure form is so easily decomposable, that 



it is dangerous to operate upon considerable quantities. 



In one. set of experiments upon it, ajar of strong glass, 

 containing 40 cubical inches, exploded in my hands with a 

 ioud report, producing light; the vessel was broken, and 

 fragments of it were thrown to a considerable distance. 

 Analysis of it. I analysed a portion of this gas, by causing it to explode 

 over mercury in a curved glass tube, by the heat of a spirit 

 lamp. 



The oximuriatic gas formed, was absorbed by water ; the 

 oxigen was found to be pure, by the test of nitrous gas. 



50 parts of the detonating gas, by decomposition, expanded 

 so as to become 60 parts. The oxigen, remaining after the 

 absorption of the oximuriatic gas, was about 20 parts. Se- 

 • veral other e.^periments were made, with similar results. So 

 that it may be inferred, that it consists of 2 in volume of 

 oximuriatic gas, and 1 in volume of oxigen ; and the oxi- 

 g6n in the gas is condensed to half its volume. Circum- 

 stances conformable to the laws of combination of gaseous 

 fluids, so ably illustrated by Mr. Gay-Lussac, and to the 

 theory of definite proportions. 



I have stated on a former occasion, that approximations 

 to the numbers representing the proportions in which oxi- 

 gen and oximuriatic gas combine are found in 7*5 and 32*9« 

 And this compound gas contains nearly these quantities*. 



The 



* In pipe 245 of the Phil. Trans, for 1810, (Journal, vol. XXVII, p. 

 ii33j) 1 have mentioned, that the specific giavity of oximuriatic gas is 

 between 74 and 75 grains per 100 cubical inches. The gns, that 1 

 weighe;!, was collected over water, and procured from hyperoxirauriate of 

 potash, and at. that lime 1 conceived, that this elasiic fluid did not difFff 

 f ora the oximuriatic gas from mangenese, except in being purer. .It 

 lfp<c ^rar. of probably contained some of the new ga^j fur 1 find, that the specific gra- 

 vity 



