244 EnpirtmviU m carhnaUd Hydrogen Gati 



Fining from the firfl experiment and other funilar ones, that the carbonated hydrogenous 

 gas which was the fubjefl of them contained a very large niixture of azotic gas, I a^'airj 

 fubmitted to diftillation a quantity of the acetite of pot-afh, with every precaution to prevent 

 the adulteration of the product with atmofpherical air. Such an adulteration, 1 have obft-rved, 

 impedes confiderably the dilatation of the gas, and for a time even entirely prevents it. 

 This explaiiis the failure, which fome experienced chemifts have met with in their attempts 

 to expand the carbonated hydrogenous gas by ele£lricity. Gas which is thus vitiated be-. 

 comes, however, capable of expanfion after expofure to the fulphure of pot-afh. 



Experiment 3. Carbonated hydrogen 340 meafures were exploded with the proper pro- 

 portion of oxygenous gas. The carbonic acid produced amounted to 380 meafures, and the 

 refidue of azotic gas was 20 meafures. 



Experiment 4. The fame quantity, when expanded to 690* gave on eombuflion 380 mea« 

 fiires of carbonic acid, and 19,8 of azotic gas. 



Experiment 5. Three hundred and fifteen meafures of carbonated hydrogen yielded 35a 

 Hieafures of carbonic acid, and 18,5 meafures of azote. 



Experiment 6, The fame quantity,, after expanfion to 6cOj afforded the fame produfls of 

 carbonic acid and azotic gafes. 



Experiments 7 and 8. As much carbonic acid was obtained by the eombuflion of 408 

 meafures of carbonated hydrogenous gas, expanded from 200, as from 200 meafures of the 

 non-eleftric fired gas ; and the refidue of azotic gas was the fame in both cafes. 



It is unneceflary to flate the particula,rsof fevcral other experiments fimilar to thofe above 

 related, which were attended with the fame refults. They fufEciently prove tbatr the adlion 

 of the eleflric fpark, whenpafTcd through carbonated hydrogenous gas, is not exerted in the 

 decompofition of carbon ; for the fame quantity of this fubftance is found after as before 

 eledtrization. Even granting that charcoal is a compound, the conftituents of which are 

 held together by a very forcible affinity,^ it does not appear likely that the agency of the 

 de6lric {hock> which feems in this inflance analogous to that of caloric, fhould cScSi its 

 decompofition under the circumflances of thefc experiments. For it is a known property 

 of charcoal to- decompofe water, when aided by a high, temperature ; and its union with 

 oxygen is a much more probable event when this body is prefsnt, than a feparation into its 

 conftituent principles. As an^argument alfo that water is the fource of the light inflam- 

 mable air in this procefs, it may be obferved that the dilatation in Dr. Auflin's experiments 

 could never be carried much farther than twice the original bulk of the gas *. This fail 

 evidently implies that the expanfion ceafed only in confequence of the entire deflruilion of 

 the matter whofe decompofition afforded the light inflammable air;. and this fubftance could 

 not be carbon, becaufe Dr. Auftin admits that a large portion, and I have fliewn that the 

 whole of it, flill remains unaltered. 



If the dilatation of the carbonated hydrogenous gas arofe from the decompofition of water, 

 the efleii fhould ceafe when this fluid is previoufly abftracted. To afcertain whether - 



• " After the inflammable air has been e.Npanded to about double its original bulk," fays Dr Auttin, 

 *' I do not find that it increafes further by continuing the fliocks. Conceiving that the progrefs of the decom- 

 "pofition was impeded by the mixture of the other airs with the heavy inflammable, I palTed the (pjrk 

 "through a mixturf of the heavy inflammable air and light inflammable -, but the expanfion fucceeded nearly 

 <*'» well ai when the heavy inflammable wa* eledlrifiud alone." Phil, Tranf. vol, Uxx. p. j*. 



this 



