418 M. Rose on the Compounds of [Dec. 



Antimony ••«•«.«••« 53*27 



Chlorine 46-73 



100-00 



This result would accord much better with the calculated 

 proportions, had I obtained the chloride of silver wholly free 

 from sulphuret. 



Another chloride of antimony is obtained by passing a current 

 of dry chlorine over heated metallic antimony. The antimony 

 burns vividly in the gas, emitting sparks, at the same time that 

 a volatile liquid is formed. This liquid is white, or of a very 

 light yellowish tint, and contains also chloride of iron if the 

 antimony employed be not wholly free from that metal. That 

 chloride, however, remains at the bottom of the vessel, and is 

 not dissolved in the liquid, which resembles the fuming spirit of 

 Libavius in all its external characters, having a strong disagree- 

 able odour, and fuming in the atmosphere. Exposed to the air 

 it attracts water, and is converted into a white mass, in which 

 white crystals form, which afterwards dissolve without rendering 

 the solution milky. This phenomenon is owing to a property of 

 the liquid chloride of antimony, which it possesses in common 

 with the fuming spirit of Libavius, of formmg a crystaUine mass 

 when mixed with a small quantity of water. 



The liquid chloride of antimony heats strongly when mixed 

 with a larger portion of water. It becomes milky, and a preci- 

 pitate forms which behaves exactly like hydrated antiraonic acid. 

 Gently heated it gives off water, and becomes yellowish ; but at 

 a high temperature it becomes white. The liquor contains 

 hydrochloric acid. Since the liquid chloride of antimony is 

 converted by water Into hydrochloric and antimonic acids, the 

 latter containing 5 atoms of oxygen to 1 of antimony, this chlo- 

 ride must contain 5 atoms of chlorine to 1 of antimony, and its 

 composition per cent, is, 



Antimony 42*15 



Chlorine 57'85 



100-00 



I analyzed the liquid chloride of antimony exactly in the same 

 way as the solid chloride. I obtained sulphuret of antimony by 

 sulphuretted hydrogen, which also had an orange colour, but 

 rather paler than the sulphuret from the solid chloride. It con- 

 tains 5 atoms of sulphur to 1 of antimony. Treated with dry 

 hydrogen it is converted into metalHc antimony and sulphur, 

 and sulphuretted hydrogen is disengaged. 1 obtained 1*98 

 gramme (30-6 grs.) of metallic antimony, and the liquid freed 

 &om the sulphuret and precipitated by nitrate of silver gave 



