on oxysulphurelted Muriatic Acid. ZT-i 



ments, and resolved to examine the different residuums in tlie 

 operations. We found that the weight of the sulphur corre- 

 sponded to that of the hydrogenated sulphur emplovcd, and that 

 the mixt gas was composed of simple muvialic acid gas 92, and 

 liydrogen gas S. From these facts it seems just to conclude that 

 the hydrogenated sulphur ahsorbed with aviditv the oxygen, 

 throwing off a little of its hydrogen ; and such was its tendency 

 to combine with the oxvgen that it decomposed the oxygen- 

 ated muriatic acid gas, taking from it the oxvgen with which it 

 was charged, and reducing it to simple muriatic acid gas. Jt 

 appears therefore that common sulphur contains a dose of oxy- 

 gen, as in our process sulphur of a white colour was obtained, 

 which was coloured yellow in proportion as it absorbed oxygeu 

 from the oxygenated muriatic acid, after which it displayed all 

 the characters and properties of common sulphur. It also con- 

 tains hydrogen, according to the experiments of Berthollet; and 

 after passing over the red-hot carbon, in such circumstances it 

 furnished the inflammable liquor known bv the name of hydro- 

 genated sulphur: it appears that it only gave out a portion of its 

 oxygen, which constituted perhaps the carbonic acid gas with 

 carbon surcharged with hydrogen, of which charcoal is a copious 

 source. Hence we could only form a theoretic hvpothesis, since 

 the principal object of our labours was not to oi)taiii hydroge- 

 nated su!j)har; and consequently we could not determine with 

 certainty if, from the copious (juantity of carbonic acid gas ob- 

 tained by the action of the oxygen of the oxysulphuretted mu- 

 riatic acid, some atom might nofbe involved in it, or might pro- 

 ceed from the oxygeii in the pre-existent sulphur. If therefore 

 anyone should think it a principal object to repeat and extend the 

 experiments of Lampadius, Robiquet, Vauquclin and Berthollet 

 on this substance, it would be perhaps the most useful thing to 

 observe accurately, by analysis, if sulphur naturally contains a 

 dose of oxygen, or if it is apt to combine with oxygen after being 

 modified by the action of carbon, and perhaps bv that of mu- 

 riatic acid, as we have seen by sytithesis ; and in case that this 

 should be the fact, to determine if this rcobtained sulphur had 

 any property not common to natural sulphur ; or if at least it 

 were not at the same time observed under the aspect of a white 

 powder. Whoever will reflect that, although hydrogenated, sul- 

 phur absorbs a portion of oxygen, it docs not ajvpear that it 

 could deprive the oxygenated muriatic acid gas of its super- 

 abundant oxygen, reducing it to simple muriatic acid gas, at least 

 not without using a strong dose of hydrogenated sulphur, always 

 supposing S5 parts of muriatic acid gas to be surcharged with 

 15 of oxygen to constitute oxygenated muriatic acid gas. But 

 if the facts which we have announced should throw any doulit 



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