102 Royal Irish Academy. 



Specific Heats of equal Volumes. 



Atmospheric Air, I '000 



Nitrogen, 1-048 



Oxygen, (by calculation,) -808 



Hydrogen, 1 '459 



Carbonic Acid, 1*195 



Carbonic Oxide, -996 



Nitrous Oxide, I'193 



Dr. Apjohn conceives himself justified in drawing from his researches 

 the following conclusions : 



1°. All gases have not under equal volumes the same specific 

 heat. 



2°. This law is not even true of the simple gases. 

 3°. There does not appear to be any simple relation between the 

 specific heats of the gases, and their specific gravities or atomic 

 weights, 



A paper was then read '^ On some remarkable Salts, obtained by 

 the action of Ferrocyanide of Potassium on Sulphovinates and Sul- 

 phomethylates." By William Gregory, M.D., F.R.S.E., &c. 



When ferrocyanide of potassum is added to sulphovinate of lime, 

 a precipitate appears, which, when heated, gives off hydrocyanic aether. 

 This salt (called A) contains iron, calcium, potassium, cyanogen, and 

 the base of aether. 



The mother liquid is found to contain a salt B, very soluble in water 

 and alcohol, which also, on being heated, yields hydrocyanic aether. 

 The ingredients of B are sulphuric acid, potash, aether, and cyanogen. 



In order to avoid the confusion which might result from the use of 

 a salt of lime, (as Mosander has shown that ferrocyanide of potas- 

 sium produces in the salts of lime, generally, a precipitate consist- 

 ing of iron, calcium, potassium, and cyanogen,) the author next tried 

 sulphovinate of potash. By the action of ferrocyanide of potassium 

 on this salt he got a salt C, corresponding to A, but different j and 

 another salt D, identical with B. 



When sulphomethylate of lime was employed, two salts E and F 

 were obtained, exactly analogous to A and B : and by employing 

 sulphomethylate of potash he got G, corresponding to E, and H, 

 identical with F. 



As it seemed likely that the study of any one of these reactions 

 would explain all the rest, the author began with the analysis of G 

 and H, of which he had a larger supply than of the others. 



G is lemon yellow, transparent, soluble in vwter, insoluble in al- 

 cohol, crystallizing in square tables much resembling those of ferro- 

 cyanide of potassium. By exposure to a heat of 212°, it loses 13*5 

 per cent, water of crystallization, and becomes opake. More 

 strongly heated it is decomposed, giving oft' hydrocyanate of methy- 

 lene, = Cc2 H3 Cy or Me Cy. The analysis corresponds with the for- 

 mula 4KCy, 3 Fe Cy, M Cy, 8 Kq. 



H is white, very soluble in water and alcohol, crystallizing in 

 square shining tables. It closely resembles sulphomethylate of potash. 



