ivhich becomes a violet-coloured Gas hj Heat, 11 



mains dissolved in the liquor. When mixtures of the two salts 

 are employed, the substance itself appears. 



It appears that in the instance when the triple componnd is 

 employed, there is not only sufficient oxygen to attract the hy- 

 drogen from the chlorine which is to combine with the potassium, 

 but likewise enough to decompose a portion of nmriatic acid, 

 sufficient to afford chlorine to enter into combination with the 

 whole of the substance. 



Wiien the binary compound is used, the result is a simple 

 instance of double affinity; the new substance quits the potas- 

 sium to unite to the hydrogen of the muriatic acid, and the 

 chlorine and the potassium combine : and that tlie decompo- 

 sition is only partial depends probably upon the attraction of 

 the compound of iodine and potassium for water. When mix- 

 tures of the compounds are used, the oxygen is employed to 

 attract hydrogen from the substance, to which it seems to ad- 

 here with a nnich weaker attraction than to chlorine. 



MM. Desormes and Clement have mentioned, that when the 

 new substance is exposed to liquid ammonia, a black powder is 

 formed, v»'hich, when dry, fulminates by the slightest contact or 

 friction. I introduced some of the substance into solution of 

 ammonia, and separated the li([uor from the black powder, and 

 evaporated it to dryness; it leit a white saline substance, the 

 same as that produced by the union of ammonia with the peculiar 

 acid, which consists of the substance combined with hydrogen ; 

 and hence it appeared proi)ab!e that a portion of ammonia had 

 been decomposed to furnish hydrogen. 



I made the experiment on the action of strong solution of 

 ammonia on the substance in a pneumatic apparatus ; but no 

 azote was given off. Hence I am induced to conclude, that the 

 black powder is a compound of the new substance and azote, 

 similar in its character of a binary compound to the detonating 

 oil discovered by M. Dulong ; an_d this conclusion is strengthened 

 by the results of its detonation in a tube of glass partially ex- 

 hausted: they are, I find, the peculiar substance and a gas 

 which is not iniiannnal)le, and which does not support flame ; 

 and unless the substance is moist, I have never been able to 

 discover any other product; but the minute quantity I have 

 employed prevents me from being confident on this point. 



It was an object of considerable interest to ascertain the pro- 

 portion in which the new substance combines, as compared with 

 that in which the other substances that form acids by their ac- 

 tion on inflammable bodies enter into union. 



I made se\eral experiments on this subject. Four grains of 

 hydrate of potassa, I found, were saturated by 6-25 of the new 

 siibstwce, and 2"S the quantity of potassium in four grains of 



hydrate 



