15$ Experiments on Charcoal. 



Whether this was a gafeous combination of charcoal and 

 fulphur, or gafeous oxide of carbon, holding in combination 

 fulphur, we will not venture to determine. Oxygenated 

 muriatic acid gas, however, when brought into contact with 

 this mbftance, the nature of which is not perfectly known 

 lo us, deftroys it almoft entirely, and fulphur is depofited, 

 which is the cafe alfo when carburated fulphur is evaporated 

 in the air. 



Beautiful carburated fulphur may be obtained, but in fmall 

 quantity and after long expofure to the ac~tion of the lire, by 

 heating fulphuret of antimony with charcoal. Sulphuret of 

 mercury treated in the fame manner gives a very fmall quan- 

 tity, but thofe of copper and iron do not produce a iingle 

 atom. 



When fulphuret of flrontian is prepared by fulphate and 

 charcoal, if there be a great deal of the latter, carbonic acid 

 is obtained ; carbonous gas, mixed probably with hydrogen ; 

 and, in the kit place, a fetid gas, partly foluble and partly 

 infoluble in water. This fecond portion feems to us to be 

 the gas above mentioned. In this experiment a very large 

 quantity of ftrontian was d i fen gaged : the union of the ful- 

 phur with the charcoal is the caufe, perhaps, which makes it 

 abandon its bafe. 



By expoiing a mixture of charcoal and fulphuret of potafh, 

 carefully made to a ftrong heat, there is obtained a prodi- 

 gious quantity of this gas, which, we have already faid, may 

 be only gafeous carburet of fulphur, and which by combuf- 

 tion gives a great deal of fulphurous acid and carbonic acid. 



The dillillation of calcined fulphate of alumine and char- 

 coal gave alfo a little of this gas. Sulphuret of lime, treated 

 in the fame manner, gave none of it. 



By diftilling wax with fulphur a great deal of fulphurated 

 hydrogen is obtained, and at lad liquid carburet of fulphur, 

 but ftained by the undecompofed oil and an empvreumatic 

 oil. 



Examwatlon of the Liquid Carburet of Sulphur, 



We have already obferved that on the firft view we fuf- 

 pe&ed this fubftance to be the bydrogenated fulphur of 

 Scheele, but the following experiments fhowed this opinion 

 (o be falfe. 



C. Berthollet afligns to this fubftance the property of fuf- 

 fering fulphurated hydrogen to be difengaged, and of depofit- 

 ing fulphur. But the combination which we call carburated 

 fulphur does not contain fulphurated hydrogen. 



lft, If a quantity of this fubftance very limpid be put 



under 



