244 MB. J. LEIGH ON THE GAS 



ture of resin gas. The melted resin was allowed to trickle 

 over a quantity of coke heated to redness in a retort, and 

 gas of an excellent quality was formed ; but, after a large 

 expenditure, the project was abandoned as too costly. 



It is also well known, that when the vapour of water is 

 passed over red-hot coke, it is decomposed, and converted 

 into carbonic oxide and hydrogen. Professor Bunsen found 

 in 100 volumes, 56 vols, hydrogen, 29 vols, carbonic oxide, 

 and 14 "8 vols, carbonic acid. It is evident from this ana- 

 lysis, that there are no products of the decomposition of 

 water by red-hot coke or charcoal, that in themselves possess 

 any illuminating power, and that there is no disposition on 

 the part of the hydrogen, liberated under these circumstan- 

 ces from the water, to unite with the carbon with which it 

 is in contact. 



It has been stated by Mr. White, that he required 

 three or four retorts, the gas from the water and from resin 

 being formed in the extreme retorts, and brought into con- 

 tact in the central ones. In these central retorts Mr. White 

 assumed, that combination took place between the hydrogen 

 of the water and the carbon or carburetted hydrogen of the 

 resin, and on this it seemed to me rested the whole case ; 

 for, if no combination really took place, then was the gas 

 produced simply resin gas, or tar gas, as the case might be. 

 Whereas, if combination really did take place, there was a 

 new element introduced into the process of gas-making, 

 and possibly some value might have pertained to it. 



It has long been known to chemists, that a union will 

 often take place when gaseous bodies are brought into con- 

 tact with each other in a nascent state, that is, at the moment 

 that they are eliminated from some solid or liquid combina- 

 tion, and therefore, as it is presumed, before they have 

 attained the full gaseous condition. This union is sometimes 

 complete — and sometimes to a very limited degree complete 

 ..__only when the affinity is relatively very strong, as in the 



