so 



ACTION or SULPHUR ON CHAHCOAt. 



Aqueous va- 

 pour passed 

 over mehed 

 sulphur takes 

 up hidiogeii, 

 ■without being 

 decomposed. 



General con- 

 clusions. 



iron prepared expressly tor the purpose, copper, and mer- 

 cury. The last metal afforded him the most. 



On this occasion too he repeated an experiment of Priest- 

 ley's,' who produced sulphuretted hidrogen gas, by passing 

 the vapour of water over melted sulphur r and he found, 

 that the water was not decomposed, for he could discover no 

 trace of sulphuric acid ; it only served therefore, to disengage 

 the sulphuretted hidrogen. Many other facts in confirma- 

 tion of these experiments might be adduced if necessary. 

 From the experiments of Mr. Berthollet we may conclude: 



• 1. That charcoal contains hidrogen, which the most in- 

 tense heat we can produce will not completely expel. 



' 2. That sulphur at a red heat acts upon hidrogen, and 

 forms compounds in very different proportions, on which 

 their propertit s depend. 



3. That charcoal deprived of hidrogen, or at least nearly 

 so, forms with sulphur a solid compound, into which the 

 sulphur-enters in a small proportion. 



4. That at a high temperature sulphur, carbon, and hi- 

 drogen unite into a compound, which assumes the state of 

 gas. 



5. And lastly, that sulphur contains hidrogen. 



Experiments 

 by Robiquet 

 confirm those 

 of Berthollet. 



Biot supposes 

 sulphur to 

 contain hidro- 

 gen. . 



While Mr. A. B. Berthollet was examining the nature of 

 tliis compound, Mr. Robiquet, apothecary to the hospital 

 of V^l-de-grace> was likewise making experiments on it, 

 at the suggestion of Mr. Vauquehn, to whom Mr. Berthol- 

 let's intentions were unknown. These led to similar con-« 

 elusions ; but were discontinued, as soon as Mr. Vauquelin 

 was acquainted with the labours of Mr. Berthollet. Mr. 

 Vauquelin had likewise given a tolerable quantity of the 

 liquid to Mr. Biot, that he might ascertain, if possible, from 

 its refractive power, the proportion of hidrogen it contains. 

 Wemay add, that Mr. Biot had already inferred the presence 

 of hidrogen in sulphur, during the course of his experiments 

 on refraction. 



vn. 



