216 On the Gaseous Oxide of Azote. 



different, and often contradictory, in their resvdts, present 

 no basis positive enough on which to ground an opinion on 

 the subject. Such, at least, were the motives which induced 

 several distinguished chemical amateurs of Toulouse to judge 

 of the singular properties attributed to this species of gas, by 

 actual experiments made on themselves. As I can answer 

 for the purity of the substances employed, and the general 

 precautions used on the occasion ; and having also taken 

 minutes on the spot of the effects of the gas on twelve per- 

 sons at least, several of whom repeated it two or three times ; 

 I presume that this publication will be read with some in- 

 terest. 



First Meeting. 



The nitrate of ammonia made use of was confusedly cry- 

 stallized, but nevehheless very neutral. The taste was pun- 

 gent, and it had a slight smell. It had been wholly formed 

 by the distillation of sal-ammoniac, from common potash, 

 and the simultaneous saturation of pure nitric acid by the 

 ammoniacal gas liberated by the above process. 



We then put about a hectogramme (nearly two ounces) 

 of this salt in a small retort, and placed it in a sand-bath. 

 The salt melted and boiled some time before emitting any 

 gas : at last the retort was filled with a white vapour which 

 soon disappeared, and the gas inuTiediately began to be libe- 

 rated very rapidly ; when we filled several bladders with it. 

 In a short time the production of the gas ceased, and when 

 ve stopped the operation, almost nothing remained in the 

 retort ; which convinced us that no accident had happened. 



Emboldened by this result, we put into a retort nearly three 

 hectogrammes (about six ounces) of the same salt, which 

 yielded enough of gas to fill seven or eight bladders, although 

 we lost a great part of it. The opei ation was continued equally 

 successfully as at first, until nothing more remained in the 

 retort ; but a circumstance occurred which surprised us all, 

 and for which we could not account : this was the formation 

 of an abundant red vapour in the inside of the retort in pro- 

 portion as it cooled, although the last gas contained i\b 

 nitrous gas : this we ascertained by suitable experiments. 



Effects 



