220 EXPLOSION BY SOLAR * LIGHT* 



XIV. 



Respecting the Action of coloured Rays upon a Mixture of oxi- 

 muriatic Gas, and hidrogen Gas. By Mr. Seebeck*. 



Oximur. gas A MIXTURE of oximuriatic gas and hydrogen gas being 

 and hidrogen J^j^ exposed to the solar light, was suddenly decomposed by 

 lar li«ht • "" Messrs. Gay Lussac and Thenard. (See Recherches Physico- 

 • Chimiques, torn. 2, p. I89.) I repeated this experiment with 

 success by means of the gasses which I had collected over hot 

 but not under water. I afterwards introduced these gasses under a glass 

 C ?'c l ^ C hi vessel of a reddish yellow colour, and in another of a deep 



light decom- Diu e> which I exposed to the solar rays. Under the blue glass 

 poses them the decomposition immediately took place, without, however, 

 much sooner c 1 • j • • .. •*. 



than red and an ^ a PP e a rar| ce of explosion, and in a minute at most it was 



neither with terminated, and the glass was filled with water for the most 

 explosion. part 



Under the red glass, on the contrary, the decomposition 

 took place very slowly. After twenty minutes of exposure to 

 strong solar light, very little water had risen in the glass. 

 This mixture of gas from the red glass was then introduced into 

 the white glass, and exposed to the rays of the sun. No ex- 

 plosion took place 3 but in a few minutes the glass became 

 filled with water. These experiments were frequently re. 

 peated, and always with the same result. 



* 'translated from Schweigger's Journal of Chemistry, II, 263, 

 by Vogel j from whose article in the Annates de Chiroie, LXXXIl. 

 ;323, I have extracted it.— N. 



SCIENTIFIC 



