Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 563 



for a short time through the solution of Ru 9 CI 3 , frequently contains 

 3 atoms of sulphur to 1 of ruthenium ; but if the gas has been passed 

 through for several hours, a sulphuret, RuS 9 , of yellowish-brown 

 colour, is obtained. Sulphuret of ammonium throws down a blackish- 

 brown sulphuret, Ru- S 3 , from the blue protochloride ; however, I 

 place little value on these analyses, as the difficulties render the re- 

 sults very uncertain. 



Oxysalts. 



I have little experience on this series of compounds, as their pre- 

 paration is very difficult, and my material was consumed ; I only 

 obtained the sulphate of ruthenium, RuO 9 + 2S0 3 , from the sul- 

 phuret, which is formed on treating Ru 2 CI 3 with sulphuretted hy- 

 drogen by oxidizing it with ordinary nitric acid. An orange-coloured 

 solution is obtained, yielding on evaporation to dryness a yellowish 

 brown amorphous mass, which attracts moisture, deliquesces, and 

 has an acid astringent taste. The dry compound reduced to powder 

 resembles mosaic gold, dissolves readily in water, and is not preci- 

 pitated at first by alkalies ; but on evaporation the yellowish-brown 

 gelatinous hydrated oxide separates, which has the greatest resem- 

 blance to the impure oxide of rhodium, and explodes with incan- 

 descence when heated. Sulphuretted hydrogen does not produce 

 the blue reaction in the solution of this salt. — Liebig's Annalen for 

 August 184-6. 



ON PHOSPHAM AND PHOSPHAMIDE. 



M. Gerhardt observes that chemists admit of the existence of two 

 compounds of nitrogen and phosphorus ; one composed of 1 atom of 

 phosphorus and 2 atoms of nitrogen (PN 2 ) is produced, according to 

 M. H. Rose, when the protochloride is heated with ammonia ; accord- 

 ing toMM.Liebig and Wdhler it is also formed by the action of heat 

 on the produce of the reaction of ammonia on perchloride of phos- 

 phorus. 



The other compound of nitrogen and phosphorus has been described 

 by M. Liebig in his Annalen. It is considered by him as a compound 

 of the preceding phosphuret of nitrogen, and the elements of water 

 (PN- + H 2 0) ; it is therefore a hydrated phosphuret of nitrogen. 



The composition which is attributed to these two compounds by 

 the German chemists being different from those defended by MM. 

 Gerhardt and Laurent, the former has subjected them to fresh ex- 

 amination, and states as the result that no such compound as phos- 

 phuret of nitrogen exists; and that the two bodies improperly so named 

 are mixtures of three definite compounds, one of which he calls 

 phosphamide, containing phosphorus, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen ; 

 the second, which he names biphosphamide, contains phosphorus, 

 nitrogen and oxygen ; and the third, named phospham, consists of 

 phosphorus, nitrogen and hydrogen. 



Phosphamide. — When gaseous ammonia is passed over perchloride 

 of phosphorus contained in a long tube, the chloride becomes con- 

 siderably heated, fuses, gives out much hydrochloric acid gas, and 

 produces much hydrochlorate of ammonia. The product obtained 



