Dcebereiner's Eudiometer. 71 



dcbbereiner's eudiometer. 

 " The very remarkable discovery of Professor Dcebereiner 

 concerning the relation of the metallic powder of platinum to a 

 gaseous mixture of hydrogen and oxygen," observes Prof. Gme- 

 lin, " I found confirmed in a splendid, but at the same time in a 

 dangerous manner. I caused a few cubic inches of hydrogen gas 

 to enter into an eudiometer two inches in width, and the glass of 

 which was one line in thickness; and then brought the platinum- 

 powder, wrapped up in white blotting paper, through the quick- 

 silver, into contact with the gas. I then caused oxygen gas to enter 

 into the eudiometer, and when but few bubbles had ascended, 

 a terrible explosion took place, which shivered the glass into 

 a thousand pieces, which were thrown about to the distance of 

 ten feet. It is remarkable that neither myself nor Prof. Boh- 

 nenberger, who stood by, was in the least injured. I do not 

 consider it superfluous to communicate this experiment to 

 you, since it proves that great caution is required in attempt- 

 ing it In Prof. Dcebereiner's experiments, no explosion ap- 

 pears to have taken place. I afterwards made the experiment 

 with hydrogen and atmospheric air, and found that a consi- 

 derable diminution of volume followed ; but it appeared, at the 

 same time, that much of the oxygen remained ; for the residue 

 still exploded strongly by means of the electric spark ; and a 

 considerable diminution of volume again took place. It ap- 

 pears, therefore, that this method will not answer the purpose 

 of an eudiometer. 



The further results I obtained are as follows : — 



1. It is indifferent whether the hydrogen be first brought 

 into the vessel, the platinum-powder afterwards, and then 

 the atmospheric air ; or whether the hydrogen gas and 

 the atmospheric air be first mixed in the vessel, and the 

 platinum-powder then introduced. 



2. Much humidity prevents the absorption. 



3. Silver-dust (obtained from nitrate of silver by copper) 

 and gold-dust (obtained from muriate of gold, precipi- 

 tated by iron, and purified by hot muriatic acid and 

 water) do not produce the least effect, not even with 

 oxygen gas." 



The above is translated from a letter of Prof. Gmelin to 

 Prof. Schweigger, published in the October number of the 

 Neues Journal fur Chemie, &c. of the latter, who makes the 

 following remark on Prof. Gmelin's conclusion as to the in- 

 applicability of Dcebereiner's discovery to eudiometrical pur- 

 poses: — "Under what conditions this may notwithstanding 

 be the case, will be seen in our next, in which will appear an 

 account of the proceedings of the German Explorers of Nature, 



to 



