15 Analiflical Researches on the Nature of certain Bodies. 

 alkalies for its basis, but may be attributed likewise to the 

 agency of the oxygen that it contains. 



The minute examination of the circumstances of the action 

 of potassium and sulphur likewise confirms these opinions. 



When two grains of potassium and one of sulphur w^ere 

 heated gently in a green glass tube filled with hydrogen, 

 and connected with a pneumatic apparatus, there was a 

 most intense ignition produced by the action of the two 

 bodies, and one-eighth of a cubical inch of gas was disen- 

 gaged, which was sulphuretted hydrogen. The compound 

 was exposed in a mercurial apparatus to the action of liquid 

 nmriatic acid; when a cubical inch and quarter of aeriform 

 matter was produced, which proved to be pure sulphuretted 

 hydrogen. 



The same experiment was repeated, except that four 

 grains of sulphur were employed instead of one. In this 

 case, a quarter of a cubical inch of gas was disengaged du- 

 ring the process of combination; and when the compound 

 was acted upon by muriatic acid, only three quarters of a 

 cubical inch of sulphuretted hydrogen was obtained. 



Now, sulphuret of potash produces sulphuretted hydrogen 

 by the action of an acid ; and if the sulphur had not con- 

 tained oxygen, the hydrogen evolved by the action of the 

 potassium in both these experiments ought to have equalled 

 at least two cubical inches, and the whole quantity of sul- 

 phuretted hvdrogen ought to have been more : and that so 

 much less sulphuretted hydrogen was evolved in the second 

 expermient, can only be ascribed to the larger quantity of 

 oxygen furnished to the jx)tassium by the larger quantity of 

 the sulphur. 



I have made several experiments of this kind with similar 

 results. Whenever equal quantities of potassium were com- 

 bined with une qual quantities of sulphur, and exposed after- 

 wards to the action of muriatic acid, the largest quantity of 

 sulphuretted hydrogen was furnished by the product con- 

 taining the smallest proportion of sulphur, and in no case 

 was the quantity of gas equal in volume to the quantity of 

 hydrogen which would have been produced by the mere 

 action of potassium upon water. 



From 



