282 General Account of the Nitrous Oxide. 



StCt. 2. A fliort and general account of the produ£Uon and properties of nitrous oxide 

 ■will not, perhaps, be wholly unacceptable to the chemical world ; particularly as the mod 

 remarkable agencies of this fubftance are but little known out of Great Britain j and they 

 are conneAed with curious phyfiological enquiries. 



II. On the Production of NitroiiS' Oxide; 



Se6V. I. As yet nitrous oxide has not been compofed immediately from its elements; 

 and there is no reafon to believe that it is produced in any of the operations of nature. But 

 it may be procured in a number of artificial proceffes, during the decompofition of nitrous 

 gas and nitric acid. 



Seik. 2. Nitrous gas may be converted into nitrous oxide in two modes. Flrft, by the 

 fimple abftraflion of a portion of its osigen by bodies poffeffing a ftrong affinity for that 

 principle, fuch as alkaline fulphites, muriate of tin, and fulphurets. Secondly, by the 

 combination of a body with portions both of its oxigen and nitrogen, fuch as hidrogen, , 

 when in a peculiar ftate of combination, or in a nafcent form. 



a. The alkaline fulphites convert nitrous ga« into nitrous oxide with much greater 

 rapidity than any other fubftances. 



At temperature 46°, Fahrenheit, 16 cubic inches of nitrous gas were converted in lefs 

 than anhouTinto 7,8 cubic inches of nitrous oxide, by lOO grains of pulverized fulphite of 

 pot-alh containing its water of cryftallization. During this procefs, the fulphite became 

 partially converted into fulphate ; but no Jenjible increafe of temperature was produced. 

 No water was decompofed, n'^r was any free nitrogen evolved. 



Muriate of tin, and the fulphurets,* whether folid or in aqueous folution, a£l flowly 

 upon nitrous gas, and become oxigenated, whilft they convert it into nitrous oxide. Tlie 

 diminution of the nitrous gas, in thefe proceffes, is the fame as in the procefs with fulphite 

 of pot-afh. 



h. When nitrous gas and fulphurated hidrogen gas are mingled together, they flowly de- 

 compofe each other, with great diminution of volume. In this operation, nitrous oxide is 

 formed, t fulphur is depofited, and figns of the produflion of ammoniac and water are 

 «ercelved. There is every reafon to believe that the hidrogen of the fulphurated hidrogen 

 is the great agent in effedling this decompofition, by combining with portions of both the 

 oxigen and nitrogen of the nitrous gas, to produce water and ammoniac. For no percep- 

 tible quantity of acid is formed in the experiment •, and the fulphur depofited appears to 

 bein its common ftate. This opinion indeed is furtlier proved, by the phenomena con- 

 nefted with the decompofttion of nitrous gas by nalcent hidrogen. 



. * Dr. Piieftley firft noticed the convei-fiou of nitrous gas into nitTors oxide by ftilphurets. To the 

 Dutch chemifts we owe the difcovery of the aftion of mtiriate of tin on nitrous gas. Journal de Phyfiqvre, 

 XLUI. part 11. page 320. 



■\ Mr. Kiiwan firft obferved tiie peculiar a^ion of fulphurated hidrogen on nitrous gas. Phil. Tranf. 

 Vol. LXXYI. page 133. 



3 When 



