4 Sovie Experiments and Observations on a new Siihstance 



that of vviiter ; that it becomes a violet-coloured gas at a tem- 

 perature below that of boihng water ; that it combines with the 

 metals and with pliosphorus and sulphur, and likewise with the 

 alkalies and metallic oxides; that it forms a detonating com- 

 pound with ammonia; that it is soluble in alcohol, and still more 

 soluble in ether ; and that, by its action upon phosphorus and 

 upon hydrogen, a substance having the characters of muriatic 

 acid is formed. In this communication they offered no decided 

 opinion respecting its nature. 



M. Amj:)ere had the goodness to give me some of this sub- 

 stance ; and M. Clement having requested me to submit it to 

 some analytical tests, I made several experiments upon it, which 

 convinced me that it was a new substance undecompounded in 

 any of the circumstances to which I was able to expose it ; and 

 that the acid formed in processes upon it was not muriatic acid, 

 but a new acid possessing a striking resemblance to that body. 



M. Gay-Lussac (to whom M. Clement had furnished some of 

 the substance, and with whom he had made some experiments 

 upon it before the communication of liis memoir) on Monday, 

 Dec. 6, read to the Institute a paper, in which he stated that 

 the acid formed by its action on hydrygen is a peculiar one. 

 He mentioned several interesting particulars respecting the 

 mode of its production, and he compared it to oxymuriatic gas 

 or chlorine, and stated that two hypotheses might be formed on 

 its nature ; and that it might be considered as an undecom- 

 pounded substance, or as a compound of oxj'gen. M. Gay- 

 Lussac is still engaged in experiments on this subject, and from 

 his activity and great sagacity, a complete chemical history of it 

 may be anticipated. But as the mode of procuring the substance 

 is now known to the chemical world in general, and as the com- 

 binations and agencies of it offer an extensive field for inquiry, 

 and will probably occupy the attention of many jjersons ; aud as 

 the investigation of it is not pursued by the discoverer himself, 

 nor particularly by the gentlemen to whom it was first commu- 

 nicated ; I shall not hesitate to lay before the Koya! Society an 

 account of the investigations I have made upon it ; and I do 

 this with the less scruple, as my particular manner of viewing 

 the pheenomena has led me to some new results, which probably 

 will not be considered by the Society as without interest in their 

 relation to the general theory of chemistry, and in their possible 

 application to some of the useful arts. 



The first experiments tliat I made on this substance, were 

 to ascertain wliether (argentane) muriate of silver could be 

 formed from its solution in water or alcohol, and for this pur- 

 pose it wa.s purified by di -tilling it from lime. Its solution I 

 foinid, when mixed with solution of nitrate of silver, deposited 



a dense 



