584 Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 
tion of liquid is greater or smaller to the portion of gas; the liquid 
in the tube will either expand, contract, or remain stationary. 
These anomalies furnished the means of verifying the numbers which 
the preceding researches had given on the expansion and vaporisa- 
tion. According to these numbers, the points of equilibrium above 
which the liquid increases and below which it diminishes on the 
addition of heat, result from such a proportion when empty or ful] 
that at zero the liquid occupies 4-3 of the wholetube. If the liquid 
at 32° Fahr. occupies one third of the tube it seems as a retrograde 
thermometer, of which the liquid increases by cold, and diminishes 
by heat. If the liquid at 32° Fahr. occupies two thirds of the tube 
it acts as a regular thermometer ; that is to say, the liquid increases 
and diminishes according to the laws of expansion. This thermo- 
meter is limited to 86° Fahr. as at this temperature the tube is en- 
tirely filled by the liquid. 
The specific gravity of this liquefied gas at 32° is 0-83, water 
being 1. It presents the singular phenomenon of a liquid which 
from — 68° to +86° Fahr., runs through the scale of densities 
from 0-90 to 0°60. It is insoluble in water, with which it does not 
mix ; but is soluble in alcohol, ether, naphtha, oil of turpentine, and 
sulphuret of carbon, in every proportion ; it is decomposed in the 
cold with effervescence by potassium; it does not act sensibly on 
lead, tin, iron, copper, &c. 
When a jet of liquid carbonic acid is directed upon the bulb of 
an alcohol thermometer, it falls rapidly to — 194° Fahr.; but the 
frigorific effects do not correspond with this decrease of tempera- 
ture, which is accounted for by the almost absolute want of con- 
ducting power, and the little capacity for heat of the gases; there- 
fore the intensity of the cold is enormous, but the sphere of action 
is limited in some measure to the point of contact. If the gases 
have little effect in the production of cold, such is not the case with 
the vapours, of which the conducting power and the capacity for 
heat are much greater. If zther, for instance, could be placed in 
the same conditions of expansion as the liquefied gas, a much greater 
frigorific effect would be obtained than by liquefied carbonic acid. 
To accomplish this object it is necessary to render zther explosive, 
which is easily effected by mixing ether with liquid carbonic acid. 
In this intimate combination of two liquids which dissolve one an- 
other in every proportion, the zther ceases to be a liquid perma- 
nent under the pressure of the atmosphere ; it becomes expansive 
similar to a liquefied gas, at the same time preserving its properties 
as a vapour, that is to say, its conductibility and capacity for 
caloric. 
The effects produced by a tube filled with explosible zther are 
remarkable; a few seconds were sufficient to congeal 772 grains 
of mercury in a glass vessel. On exposing the finger to the jet which 
escapes, the sensation is intolerable, and seems to extend much 
further than the point of contact. 
M. Thilorier intends to replace «ther by sulphuret of carbon; 
and it is probable the effects obtained will be still more powerful. 
Annales de Chimie, Dec. 1835. 
