;' - 



CHEMISTRY. 



[-1 i.riirK. 



in decomposed in our body and circulated thrmigh it, 

 and by which we think and feel, nature nail m . 



ise so continuous an infliienoo on our senses, tint 

 the material of our body a never for a moment a 

 In never-ceasing motion, sensation ami thought, will 

 m .1 action, are l.ur: \.i.i; on ; and if all tin- .1.- ivity be 

 only mitaii r-l t.y matter, all effects being but the result 

 of the force* of matter acting upon matter, nevertheless 

 tlie loss material impressions of sound which elude our 



grasp, with those of light and colour which are alto- 

 gether iut in :i!>!o, are no leu important, and to many 

 person <. in I 1. muoh -greater, than the alterations 

 which food so infallibly pro lucfli in u*. I < the 



wise man to recognise this dependence ; and it is trno 

 piety heartily to fool this connection with the ni 

 Creator of all. Justly has S;hleiermaeh -r designated 

 the sense of d in tuo in liuihi.tl, tliu true 



essence of all religion. 



CHAPTER III. 

 SULPHUR-SELENIUM PHOSPHORUS. 



nm, as an element, partakes to some extent of the 

 characteristic of others we have already described. 

 Like chlorine, iodine, Ac., it has the power of uniting 

 with other bodies, and of so forming compounds, which 

 are termed rulf>hijt. Its external appearance and 

 general properties are exceedingly varied ; generally 

 s| -inking, it is sold in commerce in rolls, under the name 

 of brimstone. It is found in a crystallised state ; and the 



I'onrheod of volcanoes, such as Vesuvius, Etna, 

 and Hecla, are the sources whence we derive our supply 

 of this article. Sulphur, however, is very generally 

 diffused throughout the animal, vegetable, and mineral 

 kingdom. As we have already shown, it is a constituent 

 of our bodies ; in many vegetable*, it forms a component 

 part ; and in the mineral kingdom, we find it associated 

 with iron and copper, in the form of pyrites, with lead 

 M galena; and in combination with oxygen as sulphuric 

 acid, it is exceedingly abundant throughout nature. Its 

 symbol is 8 ; the equivalent being 1C. 



Sulphur is readily melted and sublimed. At a mode- 

 rate heat, a little beyond that of boiling water, it is con- 

 verted into a fluid state. Beyond that temperature, it 

 aiwumes a more solid state, and a darker colour ; and in 

 this form it is employed as a moulding substance, for 

 the purpose of taking what are known as sulphur moulds. 

 It is also much employed for the purpose of bleaching 

 animal and vegetable substances. The following expert- 

 's will illustrate some of its qualities and appli- 

 cations. 



invnt 64. Place a little brimstone in a Flo- 

 rence flask, and apply a gentle beat to it by means of the 

 spirit lamp. The sulphur will sublime, or rise to the top 

 or cool side of the glass, in a yellow-coloured powder, 

 formed of very minute crystals. 



riment 65. To obtain Crystal* of Sulphur. 

 Melt some pieces of roll brimstone in an iron ladle, at a 

 yery gent \Vheii the whole is melted, remove 



the ladle from the fire, and allow it to cool until a crust 

 is formed on the top. Make a hole in the crust, and let 

 the melted sulphur inside run out. V> lieu .",], the mass 

 in the ladle will present some beautiful crystals of a 

 needle shape, if broken in half. 



7'u mnA'e ,\fuldt from Ctiins. Melt 

 some sulphur in a ladle, taking care not to overheat it. 



this over any coin (except silver, which would )>u 

 spoiled), first fixing the coin in a paper rim, such as a 

 pill-box, to prevent the sulphur running away. The 

 coin should be slightly oiled, to avoid the sulphur 

 adhering to its surface. 



To Bleach by mtatu of Sulphur. 

 Wool, hair, straw, <tc., may easily be blc-a I this 



plan is adopted by wool-scourers, and straw bonnet 

 manufacturer*. Take a at l>Hi ends, and in 



the upper part fix tin- article to be bleached by means of 

 a string tied to a cork ; as, for instance, a flower or a 

 piece of straw bonnet, first moistened with water. Then 

 place on a piece of hot iron a little sulphur, which must 

 be not on fire, the jar being placed over the fumes. The 

 jr should be slightly raised on one side, to allow a little 

 air to pass in. In a short time the colour of the 

 flower will be completely destroyed by the sulphurous, 

 cid thus formed. The arrangement is represented in 

 Fig. 67. 



Fig. J7. 



As an article of commerce, 

 sulphur is largely imported for 

 the manufacture of gunpowder, 

 lucifer-inatches, sulphuric- acid, 

 and as a medicinal a','.'iit. In 

 its ordinary commercial condi- 

 tion, it contains numerous im- 

 purities, from which it is freed 

 by sublimation or distillation, 

 by means of which the non- 

 volatili&able portion is retained, 

 and the sulphur obtained as in 

 Experiment 54. 



Sulphurous acid is a compound containing one equiva- 

 lent of sulphur united witli two of ox ,!>.>! S( -j ; 

 equivalent 32. It is at once produced when sulphur 



uted in the open air, and is the cause of the j 

 tratiiu; smell of the ordinary sulphur-match whilst 

 burning. It maybe produced as in Experiment ,~>7 ; or, 

 still better, by boiling sulphuric acid in a retort, with 

 charcoal, mercury, etc., by means of which the acid is 

 decomposed, forming an oxide of the substance, and 

 setting sulphurous acid free. In this way sulphurous 

 acid is produced in a gaseous form : and by extreme cold it 

 maybe obtained as a liquid, which, from its high vola- 

 tility, produces great cold during evaporation. Sul- 

 phurous acid is readily absorbed by water ; and, united 

 with various bases, forms the substances called 

 It is owing to the production of sulphurous acid during 

 the combustion of sulphur, that its bleaching powers are 

 manifested, as shown in Experiment 57- 



SULPHURIC ACID is a liquid well known in the arts and 

 commerce. It is a compound of one equivalent of sul- 

 phur with three of oxygen ; and in the anhydrous or 

 perfectly dry state, its symbol would be SOs, and the 

 equivalent = 40 In its ordinary condition, and at a 

 specific gravity of 1-850, sulphuric acid is combined with 

 one equivalent of water; hence its symbol will be SOs, 

 ll'>. and this equivalent 4!l. The manufacture of this 

 acid has become of the highest importance in t ,is country, 

 as it is largely employed in producing the soda of com- 

 merce, and in bleaching and calico-printing. Its source 

 is the combustion of sulphur, which may be in the ordi- 

 nary state, or as produced from iron and copper pyrites. 

 The latter source of the sulphur is much used in Glasgow, 

 where the acid is produced in large quantities by Messrs. 

 Teiinant and other manufacturers. The process depends 

 on the mutual aetioii of sulphurous acid, the vapour of 

 1 nitric acid, and the steam from water. The sulphurous 

 acid, produced by the slow combustion of the sulphur, is 

 allowed, together with the vapour of water, to meet that 

 of nitric acid, pi idueed from nitre in the usual manner, 

 and being allowed to pass in at the same time. l!v these 

 < the nitric acid is partly decomposed, and binoxide 

 of nitrogen is produced. Tim l.i'te.r gas seizes oxygen 

 from the air, and so the sulphurous acid is gradually oxi- 

 dised ; and by its acquiring another equivalent of oxygen, 

 sulphuric acid is produced The process is carried on in 

 le :i den chamber*, (it the bottom of which water is 

 placed, which condenses the acid fumes. The dilute acid 

 thus afforded is afterwards concentrated by boiling ; and 

 lired purer and freer from lead, it is subsequently 

 distilled in platiua stills, whence it issues as an oil-like 



