on the Nature of certain Bodies. 110 



From the general tenour of the facts, it appears that the 

 combustible matter obtained from boracic acid bears the 

 same relation to that substance, as sulphur and phosphorus 

 do to the sulphuric and phosphoric acids. But is it an ele- 

 mentarv inflammable body, the pure basis of the acid ? or is 

 it not like sulphur and phosphorus, compounded ? 



Without entering into any discussion concerning ultimate 

 elementary matter, there are many circumstances which fa- 

 vour the idea, that the dark olive substance is not a simple 

 body ; its beina; non-conducting, its change of colour by 

 being heated in hydrogen gas, and its power of combining 

 with the alkalies ; for these properties in general belong to 

 primary compounds, that are known to contain oxygen. 



I heated the olive-coloured substance with potassiiuri, there 

 was a combination, but without any luminous appearance, 

 and agray metallic mass was formed ; but from the effect of 

 this upon water, I could not affirm that any oxygen had 

 been added lo the metal, the gas given off" had a peculiar 

 smell, and took up more oxygen by detonation than pure 

 hydrogen, from which it seems probable, that it held some 

 of the combustible matter in solution. 



It occurred to me, that if the pure Inflammable basis 

 were capable of being deoxygenated by potassium, it would 

 probably possess a stronger atfinity for oxvgcn than hydro- 

 gen, and therefore be again brought to its former state by 

 water. I made another experiment on the operation of po- 

 tassium, on the olive-coloured substance, and exposed the 

 mixture to a small quantity of ether, hoping that this might 

 contain only water enough to oxygenate the potassium ; but 

 the san)€ result occurred as in the last case; and a combina- 

 tion of p(jtash and tiie olive-coloured substance was pro- 

 duced, insoluble in ether. 



I covered a small globule of potassium, with four or five 

 times its weight of the olive- coloured matter, in a platina 

 tube exhausted, after being filled with hydrogen ; and heated 

 the mixture to whiteness; no gas was evolved. When the 

 tube was cooled, naphtha was poured into it, and the result 

 examined under naphtha. Its colour was of a dense black. 

 It had a lustre scarcely inferior to that of plumbago. It was 

 a conductor of electricity. A portion of it thrown into water 

 occasioned a slight elfervescence ; and the solid matter sepa- 

 rated appeared dark olive, and the water became slightly 

 alkaline. Another portion examined, after being exposed 

 to air for a few minutes, had lost its conducting power, was 

 brown on the surface^ and no longer produced an cfierves- 

 cencc in water. 



IJ 4 Sonic 



