PROCEEDINGS 



OF 



THE ROYAL IRISH ACADEMY. 



1841. No. 32. 



November 30. (Stated Meeting.) 

 SIR Wm. R. HAMILTON, LL.D., President, in the Chair. 



The following communication " on the Compound Na- 

 ture of Nitrogen," by George J. Knox, Esq., was read by 

 Dr. Kane. 



Soon after the discovery of the bases of the alcalies and 

 earths by Sir Humphrey Davy, the compound nature of ni- 

 trogen began to be a subject of discussion amongst chemists; 

 but the arguments in favour of this supposition, deduced 

 principally from the nature of the ammoniacal amalgam, led 

 to no satisfactory physical results. 



The experiments of Sir Humphrey Davy on the ammo- 

 niacal nitruret of potassium, and those of Despretz and 

 ■ Grove on the compounds of nitrogen with iron, copper, &c., 

 have shown that the metals singly (even when aided by the 

 most powerful electrical induction) have not the power of de- 

 composing nitrogen. There is one experiment, however, by 

 Sir Humphrey Davy, from which one might deduce its com- 

 pound nature. 



Upon heating ammonia-nitruret of potassium in an iron 

 tube, he obtained more hydrogen, and less nitrogen, than 

 the ammonia ought to have given. 



k Again : on mixing this substance with a greater pro- 

 portion of potassium, he obtained still more hydrogen, and 

 VOL. II. p 



I 



