4 M. Grotthuss on the [Fen. 
quantity of carbon in 100 acid is 8:5. Finally, the remainder 
= 32°7 — 8:5 = 24-2 consist of azote and hydrogen in the same 
roportion as tlrey exist in ammonia. Now, according to Wol- 
Laos scale of equivalents, 21°52 ammonia contain 17:54 of 
azote. Of consequence, the 24:2 parts must consist of 19-7 
azote and 4:5 hydrogen. 
Of course the constituents of 100 parts of anthrazothionic acid 
are composed of 
SST a a a Se RE ae 67:3 
ATO in siScanei die RES irae 85 
LAS SE ee ee DP a 19-7 
Hydrogen. ....... whi 0 opeo bye D 
100-0 
Or, according to the atomic theory, 
3 atoms sulphur ...... ae 60:00 
L atom‘ carbon é iach aos 7°54 
1 atom azote. ...ce. ssi == 17°54 
3 atoms hydrogen ...... = 
Sect. 25.—We may consider this acid either as a compound of 
sulphuretied carbon (= 3 atoms sulphur + 1 atom carbon) and 
ammonia (= 3 atoms hydrogen + | atom azote) ; or of sulphu- 
retted hydrogen (= 3 atoms sulphur + 3 atoms hydrogen) and 
carbureited axote (= 1 atom carbon + 1 atom azote). But we 
must not confound cyanogen under this carburetted azote ; for it 
eontains twice as much carbon as our compound ; and on that 
account it might, by way of distinction, be called carbonized 
carburetted azote. The carburetted azote observed by Foureroy 
(Ann. de Chim. xi. 45) may, perhaps, be a compound of one 
atom of carbon with one atom or two atoms of azote. From this 
statement of the constituents of anthrazothionic acid, it follows 
that in all the experiments of Porrett in which he made cyanogen 
or prussic acid to act upon sulphuretted hydrogen and potash, 
the half of the carbon contained in the cyanogen, while he was 
converting it into anthrazothionic acid by means of sulphuretted 
hydrogen, must have made its escape either as carbonic acid 
gas, or carburetted hydrogen gas, or in some other way. This 
would deserve to be investigated hereafter with the requisite 
precision. Meanwhile, it is easy to see that when anthrazo- 
thionic acid is decomposed by means of an oxidizing medium, 
neither cyanogen nor hydrocyanic acid can be formed; because 
the oxidation will first act upon the carbon, on account of its 
being more oxidizable than the azote ; and, of course, the ratio 
of the former to the latter will always be diminishing. 
Sect. 26.—We have it now in our power to prove the truth of 
the assumption made in sect. 15 with great probability indeed, 
