% 7 8 Note on Clement and Deform e's Memoir on Charcoal, 



for the publication of my labour on charcoal and carbonated 

 hydrogen gas, that they might refute the reafons on which I' 

 have founded my opinion, pretend that 48 parts of oxvgen- 

 Can ditlblve 52 of charcoal, a folic] fubftance, the fpecific 

 gravity of which is confiderable, and vet the combination 

 refulting from it, their gafeous oxide of carbon, has a fpeci- 

 fic lightnefs greater even than that of oxygen gas. 



I could with they would point out ibme other compound 

 gas in which a fpecific levity greater than that of the lighteit 

 of its elements can be obferved. Nitrous gas is fpecifically 

 heavier than azotic gas; fulphurous gas, and oxygenated mu- 

 riatic gas, heavier than oxygen gas; the vapour of water is' 

 heavier than hydrogen; ammoniacal gas, carbonated, ful- 

 phurated, and phofphurated hydrogen are heavier than hy- 

 drogen «jas. 



Here 48 parts of oxygen diflblve, at firit, 17 of charcoal, 

 to form carbonic acid, which is heavier than oxvgen gas r 

 iince they diflblved 35 parts more of the lame charcoal, which 

 was folia; and the combination has a fpecific levity greater 

 not only than that of carbonic acid, but even than oxygen 

 gas ; 



The phenomenon becomes more ftriking when a fimilar 

 gas is fubjected to the action of the electric fpark ; for Aullin 

 and Henry obferved, in making the experiment on that ex- 

 tracted from the acetite of pot-am, that its volume was 

 doubled *. 



Confederations on the aclion of the affinity which pro- 

 duces here a phenomenon fo diftinct from others, and fo 

 contrary to the ideas which we have of that aclion f, would 

 not be unworthy of their refearch. Thefe general confidera- 

 tions ought not always to be rejected as deceitful analogies: 

 in my opinion, they ought much rather to ferve as a guide 

 to chemills, and to inform them in particular of their mif- 

 takes. 



C Clement and Deforme unite to their ftrictures fome in- 

 terelling experiments on a new combination of fulphur ; they 

 appear to me to have proved that it contains charcoal, and 

 that it is neither fulphurated hydrogen nor bydrogenated 



* In the Annates de Cb : ri>r % No. 1*4, I mentioned this gss as one of 

 thofe that contain water combined ; but mn oStlrvttions have proved to 

 inc, that the decomp.4ition of water could have only a very fmall fhare in. 

 the dilatation it experiences. 



+ Affinity, or chemical attra&ion, fays Guyton, proceeds from the 

 reciprocal tendency of all the molecuke to a perfc& contact. Nature has 

 hot force to ftparate, to remove to a diftance; it has only force to bring 

 together and unlrc .-——E'lac/oftrrfia, word Affinity. 



fulphuretj 



