B .PLOSIVE COMPOUND OF CHLORINE AND AZOTE. 18 3 



When an aqueous solution of muriate of ammonia is brought Part of ihe 



into contact with pure chlorine gas, one part of the chlorine ^^"^^ 



is dissolved in the solution, and there decomposes the ammonia acid with the 



of the salt, by combining with its hydrogen, (with which it [^ ! ^" n onia, 



forms muriatic acid,) and sets free its azote, to combine with and part forma 



another part of the chlorine, with which it forms the explosive the impound 

 1 • ; with its azote, 



compound. The compound which is at first formed in this The com- 



manner, is not visible because it is soluble in chlorine gas, and P oun(1 » e ' n rr 



° soluble m the 



there is at first an excess of that present j but in proportion as j» a8 , j s not 



the quantity of this gas diminishes by combining with the ele- vtsibfe toll 



1 . * 6 . , . 7 5 , , much or the 



ments ot the ammonia, the explosive compound appears, and <r as la absorb- 



is deposited by the gas, generally on the surface of the solution, l 'd. 

 but sometimes considerably above it on the upper part of the 

 receiver. The former effect is most likely to take place when 

 the upper part of the receiver is in the form of a dome, or cir- 

 cular j the latter, when it is in that of an inverted cone, or 

 funnel shaped. The relative temperatures of the surface of 

 the solution, and of that of the top of the receiver, have also, 

 as might be expected, a considerable influence in determining 

 where the compound shall be deposited. Its natural situation, 

 from its high specific gravity, is at the bottom of the solution 3 

 but unless it is in large quantity, or has been agitated, it re- 

 mains where it is formed, on the surface of the fluid ; preserving 

 that situation by taking a flattened spherical form, like that 

 which a heavy oil assumes on the surface of water. 



The explanation above given of the formation of the com- This explana- 

 pound from solution of muriate of ammonia, applies equally *"J n a PPhesfc> 

 when solutions of any other salt, formed of an incombustible niacal salts. 

 acid and of ammon^, are employed j the nature of the incom- 

 bustible acid (with the exception of the carbonic) being of no 

 importance, the only use of the acid being to prevent, by en- 

 gaging the ammonia, the rapid action which the chlorine gas 

 would exert on that alkali in an uncombiued state : the exist- 

 ence of it in that state would also be incompatible with that of 

 the explosive compound. This last assertion may appear ex- 

 traordinary to those who know that the explosive compound 

 may be formed by confining chlorine gas over a solution of pure 

 ammonia 5 but it is nevertheless true ; for in this case the ex- 

 plosive compound, although apparently formed from pure am- 

 monia, s in fact, formed from the muriate of that alkali j 



whic^ 



