[ 358 } 
LX. On Sulphuretted Azote, “‘ Thermozoophite,” and Aphlo- 
gistic Phenomena. By Mr. J. Murray. 
To Mr. Tilloch. ; 
London, 13th May, 1819. 
Sir, — Ar page 165 of my Elements of Chemical Science, there 
is the following passage: ‘* It is stated that sulphuretted azotic 
gas exists in the mineral waters at Aix-la-Chapelle ; and this 
was first announced by Gimbernat, though all attempts by Ber- 
zelins and Hedenberg to form sulphuretted azote artificially 
have been without success. It appears probable, that as the 
waters in question contain both sulphuretted hydrogen and azote, 
the sulphuretted azote of Gimbernat may have been a mixture 
of these gases.” —During my sojourn at Naples I had the plea- 
sure to make some geological excursions with Signore Gimber- 
nat. He wished me to rectify the impression to which the above 
refers, Sig. G. stated the fact, that he had found an zndimate 
comlination of sulphur and azote in these mineral waters, in a 
private communication to Mr. Chenevix ; and it afterwards found 
its way into the “‘ Annales de Chimie et de Physique.”—Our 
author never once called it sulphuretted azote, nor even gave it 
the name of a chemical compound. The reseaches of Pfaff and 
Voight on the same, subsequent to those of Gimbernat, confirm 
the existence of this tntzmate combination; but they hesitate to 
call it sulphuretted azote, because chemists have not been able 
to form it artificially, though the probabilities are that it is such 
a chemical product. Several chemists of late, however, have sup- 
posed that sulphuretted azote has actually occurred to them in 
their manipulations: thus Mr. Miers in his experiments on azote ; 
and some others since. - Sig. Gimbernat told me he had con- 
stantly found milrate of silver to be a good test for waters con- 
taining azote or animal matter affording a chesnut brown colour, 
and also tincture of galls, which changes from a straw to aches- 
nut colour, while that muriale of arsenic was a very sensible 
reagent, in discovering the presence of sulphur when associated 
with azote, and not with hydrogen. 
While on the subject of mineral waters, I may inform you that 
Sig. Gimbernat has discovered in the therme of Baden and 
Ischia a singular substance having much the appearance of ani- 
mal matter ;—indeed I could not discriminate between it and 
raw muscular fibre. It is formed on the.surface of the rocks 
constantly humected by the ascending vapours of these thermal 
springs, and such vapours he has invariably found to contain 
azote. This gelatinous or alluminous matter in the process of 
decay gives the very foetid odour peculiar to animal matter under 
decomposition. It swells like pelt, and forms adipocire by the 
action 
ON etd te 
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