232 ~ ~Preparation of Hydrosulphurate of Iron. 
pulverized sulphur, and by the help of water made a paste of this 
mixture. At the end of: twenty minutes it became so sensibly 
hot, that the vessel containing it could not be held in the hand; 
and twenty minutes later it had formed itself into black sulphu- 
ret of iron, I then set a portion of it apart, and having poured 
muriatic acid upon it, abundance of very pure sulphuretted hy- 
drogen gas was liberated. I put the remainder into a bottle, 
where it remained for many months, at the end of which it had 
not suffered any change, but yielded on the application of acids 
the same quantity of sulphuretted hydrogen gas.” 
Remarks: on the above, communicated by Professor Van Mons. 
M, Turte has had the candour to acknowledge that hydrosul- 
phuret of iron or sulphuret of iron by liquid process was obtained 
before him, by Black. 
The perfect resemblance of. this sulphuret.to the suboxide of 
iron obtained by a similar process, having led me to suspect that 
it might consist in this suboxide mixed with sulphur, and that 
the hydrogen might through the medium of the sulphur proceed 
from the second oxidation of the iron, I mixed well, by the ad- 
dition of a little water, five parts of sulphur with eleven equal 
parts of black suboxide of iron; and on the half of this mixture 
I poured some weakened muriatic acid. Not a single bubble of 
sulphuretted hydrogen gas was disengaged, and the mixture was. 
not in the least degree heated. I added to the remaining half 
eight parts of fine iron filings, and enough of water to reduce it 
into paste. The mass heated, and after-I had cooled it again by 
plunging it into cold water, it yielded copiously sulphuretted hy- 
drogen, but only after the oxide was dissolved. ‘The constituents 
of this compound are 25 of iron, 15 of sulphur, and 8-5 of water, 
or 32:0 of suboxide of iron, and 16 of sulphuretted hydrogen. 
When solutions of submuriate of iron and of oxalate of am- — 
monia are united, and the mixture exposed to the direct action 
of the sun, it forms a first muriate and carbonated muriate of 
ammonia, and emits carbonic gas. The mixture contains pre- 
cisely the elements and the proportions of elements for these 
_ products. One half of the chlorate of corrosive sublimate passes 
to the carbonic oxide of the oxalic acid; whence there result 
mercury and phosgenic acid, which with the ammonia forms the 
carbonated muriate of that alkali; and the second element of 
the oxalic acid, which is carbonic acid, is liberated. It is of con- 
sequence here, as well asin the direct formation, that the phos- 
genic acid be assisted by the direct heat of the sun. 
I have almost forgot to observe, that according to Thenard, 
the azote which is separated from the atmosphere by the aid of 
sulphuret of iron liquefied, is different from that which is extract- 
ed from sulphur. AIR- 
