310 Intelligence mid Miscellaneous Articles. 



".It may be proper," he observes, " to advert more particularly to 

 the hydrophosphoric gas of Davy. That this gas is the same as that 

 we have been describing, can hardly admit of a doubt. Their near 

 agreement in sp.gr., in their absorbability by water, in the quantity 

 of oxygen requisite for their combustion, in their moderate expan- 

 sion by burning with a minimum of oxygen, and in their combusti- 

 bility in oxymuriatic acid, are circumstances sufficient to warrant 

 their identity." 



Dr. Dalton states the sp. gr. of the spontaneously inflammable 

 gas to be nearly 1*1, which much more nearly approximates to 1*1846, 

 Rose's calculated statement, than the sp. gr. given by Dumas, viz. 

 1*761. It may be further observed that Dr. Dalton's analysis does 

 not widely differ from that of Rose : he states the gases to be com- 

 posed of 1 hydrogen + 9 phosphorus, which will give 



Hydrogen 3\5 



Phosphorus 31-5 



35-0 R. P. 



METALLIC PHOSPHURETS. 



M. Rose obtained phosphuret of copper by passing a current of 

 hydrogen gas over heated phosphate of copper. This salt became 

 at first yellow by the conversion of the peroxide into protoxide, and 

 afterwards, at a higher temperature, it became gray phosphuret of 

 copper, water being formed at the same time. It consisted of 



Copper . . . 65*09 or nearly 1 atom of copper ... 64 

 Phosphorus. 34-*91 2 atoms of phosphorus 32 



100 96 



Phosphuret of Cobalt. — A current of hydrogen gas, directed upon 

 phosphate of cobalt, gave very pure phosphuret : water only was 

 given out. This compound is gray, powdery, and gives no phos- 

 phoric flame with the blowpipe. 



When exposed to a current of dry chlorine, and moderately 

 heated, strong ignition occurred; chloride of phosphorus sublimed, 

 and chloride of cobalt crystallized. Its composition was found 

 to be 



Cobalt . . . 73*47 or nearly 3 atoms of cobalt . . 90 

 Phosphorus 26*53 2 atoms of phosphorus 32 



100* 122 



Phosphuret of Nickel.— This phosphuret may be obtained, as well 

 as those of copper and cobalt, by decomposing the muriate with phos- 

 phuretted hydrogen gas. It is black and insoluble in muriatic 

 acid ; but dissolved by nitric acid, it burns under the blowpipe with 

 a phosphoric flame. Phosphuret of nickel may also be obtained 

 from the phosphate by hydrogen gas. 



Phosphuret of Iron. — This was procured by the action of phos- 

 phuretted hydrogen gas upon sulphuret of iron, at a gentle heat. 



