EXPERIMENTS ON THE METALS FROM THE FIXED ALKALIS. 329 



and, by detonation with oxigen, proved to consist of near- 

 ly two of hidrogen to one of nitrogen. Sodium was re- 

 generated, but an accident prevented me from ascertaining 

 the quantity. 



Whoever will consider with attention the mere visible The volatile aj- 

 phcnomcna of the action of sodium on ammonia cannot, I k ^ ^ com " 

 conceive, fail to be convinced, that it is the volatile alkali, 

 and not the metal, which is decomposed in this process. 



As sodium does not act so violently upon oxigen, as po- Phenomena of 



tassium, and as soda does not absorb water from the atmos- faction of 



sodium on um« 

 phere with nearly so much rapidity as potash, sodium can niouia. 



be introduced into ammonia much freer from moisture than 

 potassium. Hence, when it is heated in ammonia, there is 

 no effervescence, or at least one scarcely perceptible. Its 

 tint changes to bright azure, and from bright azure to olive 

 green ; it becomes quietly and silently converted into the 

 fusible substance, which forms upon the surface, and then 

 flows off into the tray. It emits no elastic fluid, and gains 

 its new form evidently by combining with one part of the 

 elementary matter of ammonia, while another part is suf- 

 fered to escape in the form of hidrogen. 



It will not be necessary for me to enter into a very minute Mr. Curaudau** 

 experimental examination of the opinion of Mr. Curau- h yP olliesi * 

 dau, that the metals of the alkalis are composed of the 

 alkalis merely united to charcoal. The investigation upon 

 which he has founded his conclusions is neither so refined, 

 nor so difficult, as that which lias been just examined. This 

 gentleman has been misled by the existence of charcoal, as 

 an accidental constituent in the metals he employed, in a 

 manner much more obvious, than that in which Messrs. 

 Gay-Lussac and Thenard have been misled by the moisture, 

 which interfered with their results. 



Mr. Curaudau states, that, when sodium is oxidated, car- refuted, 

 bonic acid is formed. This I have never found to be the 

 case, except when the sodium was covered by a film of 

 naphtha. I burnt two grains of sodium in 8 cubical inches 

 of oxigen: nearly two cubical inches of oxigen were ab- 

 sorbed, and soda in a state of extreme dryness, so that it 

 could not be liquified by a heat below redness, formed. 

 This soda did not give out an atom of carbonic acid, during 

 its solution in muriatic acid. Three grains of sodium 

 3 were 



