412 ( Researches on Sulphur and Phosphorus, 



inflammable o;as disengaged from them by electricity, is 

 necessary to the peculiar form in which these bodies exist, 

 is not erroneous. Phosphorus, as I have stated in the last 

 Bakerian lecture, is capable of forming a solid hydruret: 

 and a part oF the sulphur distilled from iron pyrites is 

 visually of a soft consistence, and emits the smell of sul- 

 phuretted hydrogen, and probably contains that body. It 

 is not unlikely, that in all cases, phosphorus and sulphur 

 contain small quantities of the hydrurets oF phosphorus 

 and sulphur; fchd the production oF a minute portion of 

 sulphuric acid in the blow combustion of sulphur, is pro- 

 bably connected with the production of water. Though 

 the pure oxides of sulphur and phosphorus have never been 

 obtained, yet irom the doctrine of definite proportions, these 

 bodies ought, under, certain circumstances, to be formed. 

 And I am inclined to believe, that they sometimes exist in 

 minute quantities in common phosphorus and sulphur, 

 and with hydrogen give to them their variable properties. 



The colours of different specimens of phosphorus, as well as 

 of sulphur, differ considerably ; the red colour of phosphorus 

 as it is commonly prepared, is probably owing to a slight 

 mixture of oxide. Common roll sulphur is of a very pale 

 yellow, the Sicilian sulphur of an orange colour, and the 

 sulphur distilled from iron pyrites in vacuo, which arose in 

 the last period of the process, of a pale yellowish-green 

 colour. All the late experiments that I have made, as well 

 as mv former researches, induce me to suspect a notable 

 proportion of oxygen in Sicilian sulphur, which is probably 

 owing to the presence of oxide of sulphur, which may give 

 rise to sulphuric acid in distillation, or to sulphuric acid 

 itself. 



Conceiving that, if definite proportions of oxygen and 

 hydrogen existed in sulphur and phosphorus, they ought to 

 be manifested in the agency of oxy muriatic acid gas on 

 these bodies, I made some experiments on the results of 

 these operations. In the first trial, on the combination of 

 sulphur with oxvmuriatic acid gas, I employed five grains 

 of roil sulphur, and admitted the gas into the exhausted 

 retort, from a vessel in which it had been in contact with 

 warm water: in this case more than a half a cubical inch 

 of oxvgen gas, and nearly two cubical inches of muriatic 

 acid gas, were produced. Suspecting in this instance, that 

 aqueous vapour had been decomposed, I employed cold 

 water in the next experiment, and dried the gas by muriate 

 of lime: in this case, though Sicilian sulphur was used, no 

 oxygen gas was evolved - } and not a half a cubical inch of 



muriatic 



