32 



RESEARCHES ON SULPHUR AND PHOSPHORUS^ 



«xperim«nts of potassium on sulphur and phosphonis, and their combi- 



onsuljihuraud nations with hid roficeii, accordin*? to different circumstances 

 phosphorus. » • i 



of the process. I simll now refer to such of these eircum- 



stHuces, as I liave-been fully able to investigate. 



Tlie able researches of Dr. Ihoinpson have shown, that 

 sulphur, in it.n usual state, contains small quantities of 

 acid matter ; and though, in my lirst experiments, I con- 

 ceived that by employing- crystallized native sulphur, which 

 had been recently sublimed in nitrogen, 1 should avoid the 

 presence of any foreign matter, yet J am incliiMKl to believe, 

 that this is not the case; for, by subliming some similar 

 Sjulphur in nitrogen,-! iind, that litmus paper placed in the 

 upper part of the retort is slightly reddened. 



V\ hen potassium is made to unite with sulphur, if the 



retort employed is not lined with sulphur, some of the 



potassium is destroyed by acting upon the glass ; and when 



large (jnantilies of sulphur are used, it is very difficult to 



decompose tlie whole of the sulphuret of potassium by an 



Snlphurct'.cd a.cid : sulphuretted hidrogen likewise is soluble in muriatic 



evolved from ^^i<^ » ^nd thii* circumstance led me to underrate the qnan- 



it underrated, tity of sulphuretted hidrogen given off in experiments of 



this kind*. 

 Another er- 3" acting Upon sulphuretted hidrogen by potassium in 



rour i^oiiued ^ny early experiments, 1 used large <inantities of the gas 

 {\\xd of the metal J and in these cases 1 have reason to be- 

 lieve, that the violence of the combustion occasioned the 

 decomposition of a considerable quantity of the gas ; and, 

 in consequence, led me to form erroneous conclusions con- 

 cerning the nature of this curious operation. 



Mofea^curnte.' In all late eKperiments, in which sulphur, or sulphuretted 

 mode of con- . i • •» i i i i • *• • • 



duciti'^ these nidragen wa-^ concerned, 1 have iised muriatic acid satu- 



Sulpluir con- 

 tains an ucid. 



even when 

 subliniucj in 

 uitiuuen. 



Ketcrt must 

 be' lined with 

 sulphur when 

 co:nhininjj 

 with putassi 

 uni. 



♦ This eiicuiii:,taace lus been poiated out by Messrs Guy-Lussac and 

 Thcnardj in a paper printed in the Journal de Physique For Decem- 

 ber, in which these gentlemen endeavour to show, that, whether 

 potassium has been acted upon by large or snaall quantities of sulphur, 

 and under all circumstance?, it evolves a quantity of gas exactly equal to 

 that which it produces by the action of waier. 1 have been able to gain 

 no results so precise on this subject. I have in another place (the same 

 journal in which their memoir has appeared) offered some observations 

 ©n their inquiries. 



rated 



