330 Dr Bisehof s Examination of Three Inflammable Gases 



mass, or it seemed rather as if a white sublimate had been co- 

 loured of a brownish tint by another substance. 



Nothing presented itself on the other side of the absorbing 

 apparatus. It thus appeared as if all products of the decom- 

 position had been absorbed by the alcohol. The hot gas merely 

 caused a little alcohol to evaporate, which was condensed on 

 the mercury. 



In the porcelain tube, as in the former experiment, only a 

 little carbon was deposited. 



Whether these carburetted hydrogen combinations, which 

 are formed from strongly heated pit-gas, agree with the known 

 carburetted hydrogen combinations which are produced by 

 means of heat from the decomposition of organic substances, 

 or whether they are of a peculiar nature, can only be deter- 

 mined when we are able to obtain them in larger quantity. 

 Such a quantity might be prepared by transmitting a very 

 large quantity of gas through a porcelain tube for several days 

 in succession, and by collecting the products of the decompo- 

 sition in a receiver. As these products are for the most part 

 condensed directly behind the porcelain tube, it will scarcely 

 be necessary to cool the receiver with ice. It will neverthe- 

 less be advisable to select the winter for this experiment, and 

 I hope to devote next winter to this purpose, when I shall 

 have obtained a large quantity of pit-gas. 



There can be no doubt that olefiant gas also is not decom- 

 posed by heat into hydrogen and carbon merely, as has hither- 

 to been generally supposed, but that also from it, similar pro- 

 ducts of decomposition are produced. I hope, therefore, to 

 extend my investigations also to that gas. 



§ VII. Attempts to decompose Pit-Gas hy Electric Sparks. 



When I performed these experiments, I had not acquired 

 the conviction that no carbonic oxide gas can exist in pit-gas. 

 Since, according to the experiments of Dalton,* the volume 

 of carburetted hydrogen gas, when it has been electrified for 

 some time, will be increased to exactly the double, and the 

 whole gas will then consist of pure hydrogen, while carbon is 



* New System of Chcniistry, vol. if. p. 258. 



