40 EIGHTH REPORT — 1838. 



tliat this is in part due to the presence of chloride of sodium, as I have 

 reason to suspect the acrid liquid to be chlorocyanic^ ether. 



" Quick, lime, when the new ether, as it first comes over, is distilled 

 from it, becomes imbued with an essential oil, which it yields to hydric 

 ether. This oil may be afterwards isolated by the spontaneous evapo- 

 ration of its solvent. It has a mixed odour, partly agreeable, partly 

 unpleasant. From the affinity between its odour and that of common 

 nitrous ether, I suspect that it is one of the impurities which exist in 

 that compound. 



" The new ether is obtained in the highest degree of purity, though 

 in quantity less, by introducing the materials refrigerated by snow and 

 salt into a strong, well-ground, stoppered bottle. After some time the 

 ether will form a supernatant stratum, which may be separated by de- 

 cantation. Any acid having a stronger affinity for the alkaline base 

 than the hyponitrous acid, will of course answer to generate this ether. 

 Acetic acid not only extricates, but appears to combine with it, form- 

 ing apparently a hyponitro-acetic ether. 



" I observed some years ago, that when defiant gas is inflamed with 

 an inadequate supply of oxygen, carbon is deposited, and the resulting 

 gas occupies double the space of the mixture before explosion. Of 

 this I conceive I have discovered the explanation. By a great number 

 of experiments performed with the aid of my barometer-gauge, eudio- 

 meter, and other instrunients, I have ascertained, that if, during the 

 explosion of the gaseous elements of water, any gaseous or volatile in- 

 flammatory matter be present, instead of condensing there will be a 

 permanent gas, formed by the union of the nascent water with the in- 

 flammable matter. Thus, two volumes of oxygen with four of hydro- 

 gen and one of olefiant gas, give six volumes of permanent gas, which 

 burns like light carburetted hydrogen. The same (|uantity of the pure 

 liydrogen and oxygen with half a volume of hydric ether, give on the 

 average the same residue. One volume of the naw ether, under like 

 circumstances, produced five volumes of gas. 



" An analogous product is obtained when the same aqueous elements 

 are inflamed in the presence of an essential oik With oil of turpentine, 

 a gas was obtained weighing per hundred cubic inches I6j\^ grains, 

 which is nearly half the gravity of light carburetted hydrogen. The 

 gas obtained from olefiant gas, or from ether, on the average weighed, 

 for the same bulk, ISf^y grains: this leaves no doubt of its being 

 chiefly constituted of the water, as the olefiant gas which 1 used 

 weighed per hundred cubic inches only SO^V gi'ains ; if per se expanded 

 into six volumes, it could have weighed only one sixth of that weight, 

 or little over five grains per hundred cubic inches. 



" With a volume of the new ether, six volumes of the mixture of 

 hydrogen and oxygen gave on the average about five residual volumes. 



" The gases thus created do not contain carbonic acid, and, when ge- 

 nerated from olefiant gas, appear to yield the same quantity of carbon 

 and hydrogen as the gas affords before expansion. 



" These facts point out a source of error in experiments for ana- 



