474 Impregnation of Water with 



VIII. 



Memoir of fevered newly difcovered Properties of phofpkorated Hydrogen Gas. By 

 Citizen Raymond, Profejfor of Chemijlry at the Central School of the Department of 

 the Ardeche*, 



Wi 



E are indebted to Citizen Gengembre for the important difcovcry of phofphorated 

 hydrogen gas. Before his time no chemlft had difcovered an elaftic fluid, which poflefled 

 the remarkable property of taking fire by the contadt of air alone, without the neceflity of 

 increafing its temperature, or placing it in contaft with a body in a ftate of ignition. 



The undulated, and continually increafing crown, which is afforded by this gas when 

 burned by a fingle bubble at a time, in any place where the air is perfedly calm ; the luftre 

 and magnificence which attend this combuftion, when effefted in pure oxygen gas ; the 

 fudden penetration of the two gafes, and their total convetfion into witer andphofphoric 

 acid. Thefe were the only known fadls which had interefted chemifts in the hiflory of 

 phofphorated hydrogen gas when I attempted to difcover whether this elaftic fluid did not 

 poffefs other properties, which, although they might not afford a fpe£tacle of equal bril- 

 liancy with thofe above-mentioned, might not on that account be lefs worthy the attention 

 of philofophers. 



The well known property imparted by fulphur to hydrogen, and reciprocally by hydro- 

 gen, namely, that both," when combined, are foluble in water, though each, taken 

 feparately, is perfe£lly indiffoluble, had already led me to imagine that the fame effe£l: 

 might take place in a combination of phofphorus and hydrogen ; and that thefe fub- 

 ftances being pievioufly united, might then perhaps become fufceptible of partaking of 

 the liquidity of water, by communicating to the latter feme new properties, nearly fimilar 

 to thofe poffeffed by the folution of fulphurated hydrogen gas, commonly called hepatifed 

 water. 



To deftroy or effeftually to confirm this fufpicion, I took a flint glafs decanter, which 

 I filled with newly diftilled water, of the temperature of twelve degrees; I then inverted 

 it on the Ihelf of a pneumatic trough, in order to receive the phofphorated hydrogen gas, 

 which is afforded by the decompoficion of water, by a mixture of phofphorus and recently 

 flaked lime. (This procefs is defcrlbed in the Annales de Chimie, for the year 1787.) 

 As foon as the decanter was about half full of phofphorated hydrogen gas, I removed it 

 from the (helf, carefully clofing its orifice with my finger, and then briflcly (baking it, 

 in order to caufe a more rapid combination of the gas with the water, in the fame manner 

 as is done to promote the folution of carbonic acid or fulphurated hydrogen gafes. 



• Annales de Chimie, XXXV. 225. 



By 



