76 Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 



p. 139 ; or Proceedings of Geol. Soc. No. 9, p. 92.), has contended. 

 It is probable that Mr. Featherstonhaugh has been led into this error 

 by the contiguity to each other of the new- and old-red- sandstones 

 in the county of Monmouth. This circumstance also seems to cast a 

 doubt on Mr. F.'s opinion, as expressed in the same paper, that none 

 of the beds which are in England higher in the series of formations 

 than the coal-measures, are to be found in North America, north of 

 40° N. Lat. A minute comparison of the North-American rocks, a.s 

 described, respectively, by I'rof. Eaton, Dr. Bigsby, and Mr. Fea- 

 therstonhaugh, would probably remove much of the obscurity in 

 which this subject is at present enveloped. E. W. B. 



May 7, 1829. 



ON boyle's fuming liquor, by m. gay lussac. 



This product, which is obtained by distilling a mixture of equal 

 portions of lime and muriate of ammonia, and half a part of sulphur, 

 appears to be well known as to its composition ; but the circumstances 

 under which it is formed require some consideration. M. Thenard 

 states, that during its preparation no azote is evolved, that chloride of 

 calcium and hyposulphate of lime are formed, and that it is the hydro- 

 gen of the muriatic acid of the sal-ammoniac which produces sulphu- 

 retted hydrogen with the sulphur ; and M. Vauquelin could not ob- 

 tain the fuming liquor when the sulphate or any other salt of am- 

 monia was substituted for the muriate. Wishing to know from my 

 own experiments what occurs during the preparation of this liquor, 

 I began by repeating the experiments whicb had been made. I used 

 oxyhydrous lime, and I have proved that not the smallest quantity of 

 azote is produced during the formation of the fuming liquor. At 

 first pure ammonia was disengaged, then hydrosulphuret of ammonia 

 in white crystals, which eventually dissolved in the fuming liquor. The 

 residue in the retort gave only chloride of calcium and sulphuret of lime 

 and sulphate of lime, but not the slightest trace of hyposulphate or 

 sulphate of lime ; which will not appear surprising, when it is re- 

 collected that in this operation the heat is always raised to a low red, 

 and that at this temperature the hyposulphates and sulphates are com- 

 pletely decomposed, and changed into sulphates and sulphurets. It 

 is unquestionably the fact, that the ammonia does not supply the hy- 

 drogen of the sulphuretted hydrogen. It is possible, certainly, that 

 the ammonia might have been decomposed, and an azoturet of calcium 

 formed ; but I have not been able to prove its formation. 



The hydrogen might be derived from the muriatic acid, or from 

 water, formed by the union of muriatic acid with lime; but it is 

 much more natural to attribute it to the muriatic acid, because it can 

 hardly be admitted that in the sphere of action of the same molecule, 

 water is first formed, to be decomposed immediately afterwards. Never- 

 theless this fluid contributes to the production of sulphuretted hydro- 

 gen, as will presently appear. 



When sulphate or phosphate of ammonia is substituted for the 

 muriate, the fuming liquor is obtained, without imy disengagement 



of 



