1 50 Intelligence anil Miscellaneous Articles, 



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aluminum in a state of vivid ignition, the mixture becomes strongly- 

 incandescent, and a black frit is formed: it is semimetallic in ap- 

 pearance, and when polished is of a shining iron-black colour. When 

 exposed to the air, this frit emits a smell of sulphuretted hydrogen, 

 swells, and falls into a grayish-white powder ; when applied to the 

 tongue, it occasions a hot penetrating sensation ; when thrown into 

 water, it is converted into a gray powder of alumina, accompanied 

 with a rapid disengagement of sulphuretted hydrogen. Sulphate of 

 alumina when heated to redness in contact with hydrogen, loses its 

 acid, but the earth is not reduced. 



Sulphuretted Hydrogen and Aluminum, — When chloride of alu- 

 minum is sublimed in a small retort, and a strong current of sul- 

 phuretted hydrogen gas is at the same time made to enter its neck, 

 it is absorbed ; and a very white sublimate is formed, partly in the 

 state of pearly transparent scaly crystals, and partly in that of a 

 brittle mass. The residuum of sulphuretted hydrogen was dis- 

 placed from the apparatus by simple hydrogen. In the cold, this 

 gas is not absorbed by the chloride of aluminum. In contact with 

 the air, the sublimed matter moistens rapidly, sulphuretted hydro- 

 gen is disengaged, and chloride of aluminum remains in solution. 

 When sublimed in a tube, it evaporates with the evolution of sul- 

 phuretted hydrogen equal to from 30 to 40 times its volume, which 

 however cannot be the whole of the gas, because the combination is 

 formed at a high temperature. W T hen put into water, the sublimate 

 is decomposed with the same violence as the pure chloride; much 

 sulphuretted hydrogen is disengaged, and the solution is rendered 

 turbid by the precipitation of sulphur. Pass a small piece of the 

 compound into a tube full of mercury, and afterwards some water ; 

 a great volume of gas is evolved with great rapidity, which is com- 

 pletely absorbed by solution of acetate of lead, with the precipita- 

 tion ofsulphuret; when thrown into solution of ammonia, alumina 

 is precipitated. No action takes place between the compound of 

 sulphuretted hydrogen and aluminum with muriatic acid gas. 



Phosphuret of Aluminum. — Aluminum heated to redness in the 

 vapour of phosphorus, combines with it with vivid inflammation ; 

 the product is a blackish-gray pulverulent substance, which under 

 the burnisher assumes a deep gray metallic lustre, and exhales a 

 smell of phosphuretted hydrogen ; when thrown into water, it occa- 

 sions the evolution of phosphuretted hydrogen, which is not spon- 

 taneously inflammable. In the cold> the disengagement of this gas 

 is not so rapid as that of sulphuretted hydrogen, but it is quickened 

 by heat. 



Seleniuret of Aluminum. — Selenium when mixed with the metal 

 of alumina, and heated to redness, combines with it, producing 

 strong inflammation. The seleniuret thus obtained is a black pow- 

 der, which being rubbed becomes of a dull metallic aspect. When 

 exposed to the air it continually exhales a smell of seleniuretted 

 hydrogen ; in water the disengagement of this gas. is very 'rapid, 

 and the water is quickly reddened by a portion of precipitated se- 

 lenium. 



Arseniuret 



