Sulphate and Oxide of Antimony. ATT 
able from the common sulphuret. According to a few expe- 
riments, this sulphuret of antimony is composed of Sb S, or 
one atom of each element. When this sulphuret is dissolved 
in muriatic acid, sulphuretted hydrogen is evolved, and al- 
though a little antimony is separated, yet there remains in 
solution a combination with chlorine Sb Cl, which when de- 
composed with carbonate of soda furnishes a new oxide. The 
mixing of this with the common oxide is said to have given 
rise to the contradictory views of its composition, and also to 
the appearance that the fused oxide of antimony is decom- 
posed to a certain extent by the electric current only until 
the new oxide is reduced. 
“‘ Faraday appears convinced of the truth of this statement, 
but adds that he has not confirmed by analysis the composi- 
tion of this oxide, because he should thereby have interrupted 
the course of his main experiments. 
“This appeared to me to deserve a nearer investigation, as 
well for itself as for the importance of its influence on Fara- 
day’s electro-chemical views. I have therefore repeated the 
above-described experiments of Faraday on the three new 
combinations of antimony with sulphur, chlorine, and oxygen, 
and I have found that even if they do exist they cannot pos- 
sibly be formed by the means which he has described, and 
they are therefore still to be discovered. 
‘The following is the substance of my examination. | 
mixed together very carefully and intimately sulphuret of an- 
timony and metallic antimony in the proportions that, through 
melting, the combination Sb+S must be formed: the mixture 
was then put into a glass tube; this was drawn out to a capil- 
lary end ; the air was then expelled by heat, and the tube was 
hermetically sealed. The tube was then placed in a vessel 
covered with sand, heated to a full red-heat, and then suffered 
to cool slowly. When the mass was taken out there was at 
the bottom a regulus, which contained 63 per cent. of the an- 
timony which had been added after it had been separated 
from some adhering portions of sulphuret of antimony by 
boiling with a little muriatic acid. 
*¢ This had all the properties of pure antimony. Rubbed 
to powder and boiled with muriatic acid, it still evolved how- 
ever a little sulphuretted hydrogen and gave some antimony 
to the acid. ‘The powder when thus boiled had lost 6} per 
cent. 
* From all this it is evident that though the resulting sul- 
phuret of antimony contained more antimony after than be- 
fore the process, it is not the combination which Faraday 
thought it was. Even in the cleavage it had not the appear- 
