1826.] contained in Sea Water, 421 



the upper part of the flask ; the other is fluid, and remains in 

 the lower part ; this appears to contain less brome than the 

 crystalline compound ; in fact it may be made to crystallize by 

 adding a sufficient quantity of brome to it. The fluid compound 

 I shall call the protobromuret of phosphorus, and the solid 

 deutobromuret. 



The protobromuret of phosphorus is fluid even at 12° centig. 

 It reddens tournsol paper faintly ; it probably even owes this 

 property to the imperfect dryness of the materials from which I 

 prepared it. It vaporizes readily, and by exposure to the air 

 emits penetrating vapours ; like the protochloride it is suscepti- 

 ble of dissolving an excess of phosphorus, and then acquires the 

 property of inflaming combustible bodies, when put into contact 

 with it : it acts very energetically upon water with the extri- 

 cation of much heat, and produces hydrobromic acid, which 

 may be collected in the state of gas, when a few drops only of 

 water are added to it ; but it is dissolved if a large quantity of 

 water be used : this acid solution, when evaporated, leaves a 

 residuum which burns slightly when it is dried, and is converted 

 into phosphoric acid. 



The deutobromuret of phosphorus is solid, of a yellow colour; 

 when moderately heated, it is first rendered fluid, the colour of 

 which is red, and by increasing the heat, it is converted into 

 vapour of the same colour. 



When the deutobromuret of phosphorus is cooled after fusion, 

 or when its vapour is condensed, it yields rhombic crystals in 

 the first case, and in the second, the crystals are needle-formed, 

 and placed upon each other; the metals decompose it, and 

 there are probably produced metallic bromurets and phosphurets; 

 when exposed to the air, it emits dense penetrating vapours ; it 

 decomposes water with the extrication of heat, and produces 

 hydrobromic and phosphoric acids. 



When chlorine is made to act upon either of the bromurets of 

 phosphorus, red vapours of brome are disengaged, and chloride 

 of phosphorus is obtained. Iodine does not decompose these 

 compounds; on the contrary, when brome is made to act upon 

 iodide of phosphorus, violet vapours and a bromuret are pro- 

 duced. 



Bromuret of Sulphur, 



This compound may be obtained by pouring brome upon 

 sublimed sulphur ; it is converted into a fluid of an oily appear- 

 ance and a reddish tint, which is much deeper than that of 

 chloride of sulphur, and which, like that compound, is capable 

 of emitting white vapours when exposed to the air, and of a 

 somewhat similar smell. 



Bromuret of sulphur reddens tournsol paper faintly, but with 

 water it reddens it strongly. Cold water acts slowly upon bro^ 



