1821.] of Chlorine and Carbon, §c. 113 



Cubic inches. 



Muriatic acid gas 18'27 



Chlorine 5-78 



Nitrogen, &c 1*2 



and before that action/ 



Chlorine 29-25 



Olefiant gas 5*0 



Nitrogen TO 



Hence 23*47 cubic inches of chlorine had disappeared, and 

 9" 13 of these had entered into combination with an equal volume 

 of 9* 13 cubic inches of hydrogen liberated from the five cubic 

 inches of olefiant gas, to form muriatic acid; and, consequently, 

 14*34 cubic inches of chlorine remained combined with the car- 

 bon of the five cubic inches of olefiant gas. Here, the volume 

 of chlorine actually employed is not quite five times that of the 

 olefiant gas, nor the volume of muriatic acid gas produced, equal 

 to four times that of the olefiant gas ; but they approximate ; 

 and when it is remembered that the conversion was not quite 

 perfect, and that the gases used would inevitably contain a slight 

 portion of impurity, the causes of the deficiency can easily be 

 understood. 



In other experiments made in the same way, but with smaller 

 quantities, more accurate results were obtained : 1 cubic inch of 

 olefiant gas with 12 - 25 cubic inches of chlorine, produced by the 

 action of light 3*67 cubic inches of muriatic acid gas, 4'9o3 of 

 the chlorine having been used. 1*4 cubic inch of olefiant gas 

 with 12*5 cubic inches of chlorine produced 5 - 06 cubic inches of 

 muriatic acid gas, 6 - 7 cubic inches of chlorine having been used. 

 Other experiments gave very nearly the same results ; and I 

 have deduced from them, that one volume of olefiant gas 

 requires five volumes of chlorine for its conversion into muriatic 

 acid and chloride cf carbon ; that four volumes of muriatic acid 

 gas are formed ; that three volumes of chlorine combine with 

 the two volumes of carbon in the defiant gas to form the solid 

 crystalline chloride ; and that, when chlorine acts on the fluid 

 compound of chlorine and olefiant gas, for every volume of chlo- 

 rine that combines, an equal volume of hydrogen is separated. 



I have endeavoured to verify these proportions by analytical 

 experiments. The mode I adopted was, to send the substance 

 in vapour over metals and metallic oxides at high temperatures. 

 Considerable care is requisite in such experiments ; for if the 

 process be carried on quickly, a portion of fluid chloride of car- 

 bon is formed, and escapes decomposition. The following are 

 two results from a number of experiments agreeing well with 

 each other. 



Five grains were passed over peroxide of copper in an iron 

 tube, and the gas collected over mercury; it amounted to 3*9 



New Series, vol. ii. i 



