the Oxidation of Phosphorus. 85 



vapour from the ether bottle. In a few seconds the fumes 

 entirely disappear, and the air around the phosphorus becomes 

 perfectly transparent. If the bottle is now stopped, white 

 fumes do not again appear in it, till the ether has passed 

 entirely into acetic acid by combining with oxygen, which 

 requires a few days. 



Phosphorus is not luminous in the dark in air slightly im- 

 pregnated with any other essential oil, as well as oil of turpen- 

 tine. In an open two-ounce phial, phosphorus will appear 

 brightly luminous in the dark; but the moment the phial is 

 stopped with a cork, which has formerly confined an essential 

 oil, and still sensibly retains its odour, the light begins to fade, 

 and disappears entirely in a few seconds. The light from 

 phosphorus in air at 63° F. is extinguished by the addition 

 of 4 per cent, of chlorine gas, or 20 per cent, of sulphuretted 

 hydrogen. The vapour from strong alcohol of about 80° in 

 temperature extinguishes luminous phosphorus. But the 

 vapours from camphor, sulphur, iodine, benzoic acid, carbonate 

 of ammonia, iodide of carbon, do not produce that effect, — 

 thermometer 67°. Held in the mouth of a bottle, containing 

 strong muriatic acid, phosphorus appears to become more 

 brilliant. But this is not the case with nitric or nitrous acids, 

 which sensibly impair the light. The vapour from the liquor 

 condensed in the vessels of the Portable Oil Gas Company, 

 and coal gas, protect phosphorus from oxidation. 



It is evident from these experiments, that phosphorus cannot 

 be used to withdraw oxygen from gaseous mixtures, containing 

 defiant gas, or the different compounds of carbon and hydro- 

 gen allied to that gas. It may be employed as a test of their 

 presence even in very minute quantity. 



The influence of those gases in preventing the oxidation of 

 phosphorus in air appears even at elevated temperatures. 

 Phosphorus may be melted and kept for any length of time at 

 212°, without alteration, in air containing an equal volume of 

 olefiant gas. In three parts air, with two parts sulphuric 

 ether, phosphorus became faintly and transiently luminous in 

 the dark at 215°, — weak lambent flashes, which disappeared 

 entirely at 210°, and were repeatedly revived and extinguished 

 by alternately elevating and lowering the temperature between 



