1824.] the Aeriform Compounds of Nitrogen. 303 



conductor of an electrical machine. The discharge, however, 

 of a small Leyden jar, through a mixture of nitrous gas and 

 defiant gas, occasioned a vivid combustion, and both gases 

 were entirely decomposed. The following experiment may be 

 taken as an example : 



Olefiant gas 6' 5 



Nitrous gas 4G*5 = 45T pure + 1*4 nitrogen. 



53 



40 fired. 



27 washed with potash. 



In this case 40 — 27 = 13 measures of carbonic acid were 

 formed, which are just double the volume of the olefiant gas. 

 In the residuary 27 measures, I found 2-7 measures of free 

 oxygen. But 6*5 measures of olefiant gas require for saturation 

 19*5 of oxygen, to which, adding the residuary 2*7, Ave have 

 22*2 measures of oxygen by experiment in 45* 1 nitrous gas ; 

 while theory would require 22*55 or about -^ more than was 

 actually obtained. Again, the residuary nitrogen was 27 — 2*7 

 = 24*3; while from theory it should have been half the volume 

 of the pure nitrous gas, viz. 22-55 + the impurity ot the latter 

 T4 = 23*95. The actual proportion of nitrogen, therefore, ex- 

 ceeds the estimated by only -^th. 



It may be stated, then, in general terms, as the results of 

 analyzing nitrous oxide and nitrous gas by the methods which 

 have been described in this paper; 



lstly. — That 1 volume of nitrous oxide is decomposed by 

 1 volume of carbonic oxide ; and the products are 1 volume 

 of carbonic acid and 1 volume of nitrogen. But to convert 



1 volume of carbonic oxide into an equal volume of carbonic 

 acid, half a volume of oxygen is required. Therefore 1 vo- 

 lume of nitrous oxide must be constituted of 1 volume of 

 nitrogen + half a volume of oxygen in the space of 1 volume. 



2dly. — That 6 volumes of nitrous gas require for perfect 

 decomposition 1 volume of olefiant gas, and the gaseous pro- 

 ducts are 2 volumes of carbonic acid and 3 volumes of nitrogen. 

 But to form 2 volumes of carbonic acid by the combustion of 

 carbon, 2 volumes of oxygen are necessary ; and 1 volume of 

 oxygen is required to saturate the 2 volumes of hydrogen ex- 

 isting in 1 volume of olefiant gas. The results of this experi- 

 ment, therefore, confirm the analysis both of nitrous gas and 

 olefiant gas by other methods ; for the former gas must consist 

 of equal volumes of nitrogen and oxygen gases not condensed 

 in bulk. ; and 1 volume of olefiant gas must be constituted of 



2 volumes of hydrogen + carbon sufficient for forming 2 vo- 

 lumes of carbonic acid. 



(To be concluded in our next.) 



