lot Ammoniacal Gas. — Atmosphere. 



was liberated; and if it took the oxygen, or a part of it, from 

 tlie deutoxyde, already geneiated by the union of carbon and 

 oxygen in the formation of cai'bonic acid, thereby leaving a 

 compound of azote and oxygen in the state of nitrous giis — it 

 must have reduced it to the protoxide, or gaseous oxide of 

 azote, its first degree of oxydizement. 



It is known that charcoal, especially when newly made, has 

 the property of absorbing sundry gases, and particularly hydro- 



fen. Might not the charcoal I used have contained hydi'ogen ? 

 f so, might not the nascent hydrogen during the action of the 

 carbon have combined with a part of the oxygen of the nitric 

 acid, and formed water ; whilst that portion of the azote thus 

 set at liberty, by combining with the carbon, may have formed 

 the carburet of azote ? 



The existence of cyanogene, however, is indisputable, in 

 whatever manner it may have originated. One atom of azote 

 and two atoms of oxygen form the deutoxyde of azote, and two 

 atoms of carbon with one atom of azote form cyanogene. I 

 have not had leisure to repeat the experiment, in order to de- 

 termine the quantity of cyanogene thus generated." 



ON THE INFLAMMABILITY OF AMMONIACAL GAS. BY PRO- 

 FESSOR SILLIMAN. 



I have recently found that ammoniacal gas is much more 

 inflammable than it is described to be in the books. Having 

 fiUedwith this gas, over mercury, some jars which were eight 

 inches long by two and three quarters in diameter, I found 

 on bringing a pendent candle over one whose mouth was co- 

 vered with a glass plate, which was withdrawn at the moment, 

 that the gas burned readily as it rose through the air, exhibit- 

 ing a voluminous yellow flame. The reason why, in common 

 cases, it appears nearly uninflammable, is, that it is used in 

 very small quantities, and in narrow vessels, into which the 

 common air can, at the moment, scarcely enter, and the gas is 

 not sufficiently inflammable to burn (Hke pui'e hydiogen) merely 

 at the surface of contact, at the mouth of the vessel. But if 

 it rise through the air suddenly, in large volumes, and in its 

 ascent strike the flame of a candle, it is then sufficiently in- 

 flammable to be seen through a large room, and forms a hand- 

 some experiment. — Silliman's Journal, vol. vi. p. 185. 



NEW FACTS RESPECTING THE ATMOSPHERE. 



Professor Zuumerman of Giessen has announced that he 

 has ascertained that all atmosphei'ic aqueous substances, as 

 dew, snow, rain, and hail, contain meteoric iron combined 

 with nickel. Rain also usually contains salt, and a new organic 

 substance composed of hydrogen, oxygen and carbon, to 

 V^hich he has given the name oi pysine. 



BRITISH 



