446 



SULPHUR SULTAN. 



crystals. Theie crystals are dissolved in water, 

 and the barytesthey contain precipitated, by means 

 of sulphuric acid ; care being taken not to add the 

 sulphuric acid in excess. The liquid now consists 

 of water holding hyposulphuric acid in solution. 

 This acid is colourless and destitute of smell. It 

 may be concentrated till its specific gravity is 1 -347. 

 It then begins to be decomposed by heat, sulphur- 

 ous acid flies off, and sulphuric acid remains behind 

 it. It is found that it can be completely resolved into 

 sulphurous and sulphuric acids, in the proportion of 

 four parts of the former to five parts of the latter. 

 Thus we know five compounds of oxygen and sul- 

 phur, all of which are acids. Their names, con- 

 stituents, and combining weights, are as follows : 



g Weight 



Solphor. Oiygen. Comt 



1. Hyposnlphurous acid, 2 atoms + 1 atom 



2 Subsiilpmirous acid, 1 4- 



3. Sulphurous acid, 1 + ' 



4. Sulphuric acid, 1 +3 



5. Hyposulphuric acid, 2 +5 



Sulphur combines readily with chlorine, forming a 

 liquid compound called chloride of sulphur. It is 

 formed by passing a current of chlorine through 

 flowers of sulphur, or by heating sulphur in a dry 

 glass vessel, filled with chlorine gas. Its colour is 

 brownish-red, and it possesses an odour similar to 

 sea-plants. Its taste is acid, hot and bitter. It 

 does not change the colour of litmus paper ; specific 

 gravity 1-67. When dropped into water, it is de- 

 composed, sulphur being evolved. It is composed 

 of sulphur 2 and chlorine 4-672. By pouring bro- 

 mine on flowers of sulphur, an analogous compound 

 is formed, called bromide of sulphur. Cold water 

 has but little action on it, but, at a boiling tempera- 

 ture, a slight detonation takes place, and hydrobro- 

 mic acid is formed, together with sulphuric acic 

 and sulphureted hydrogen. It consists of bromine 

 10 and sulphur 2. Sulphur, has the property o: 

 combining with iodine, and of forming a compounc 

 called iodide of sulphur. It is easily formed by 

 mixing together the two constituents in a glas 

 tube, and exposing them to sufficient heat to me! 

 the sulphur. It is of a grayish-black colour, am 

 has a radiated texture. It has not been analyzed 

 Sulphur has the property of combining with hydro 

 gen, and of forming a gaseous compound, which hai 

 received the name of sulphureted hydrogen. It ha 

 also been called hydrosulphuric acid. It may b< 

 obtained by pouring sulphuric or muriatic acid upon 

 several metallic sulphurets. Sulphuret of iron i 

 commonly employed, and may be formed by heating 

 together iron filings and sulphur in a covered cm 

 cible. Sulphureted hydrogen gas is colourless, an 

 has a strong, fetid smell, not unlike that of rotten 

 eggs. It does not support combustion, nor car 

 animals breathe it without suffocation. Its specifi 

 gravity is 1-1805. It is rapidly absorbed by water 

 100 cubic inches of this liquid absorbing 30 

 cubic inches of sulphureted hydrogen. The wate 

 thus impregnated is colourless, but it has the smel 

 of the gas ; and a sweetish, nauseous taste, 

 converts vegetable blue colours to red. When th 

 gas is mixed with common air, it burns rapidly, bu 

 does not explode. When three volumes of sulphu 

 reted hydrogen gas, and two volumes of sulphurou 

 acid gas, both dry, are mingled over mercury, the 

 unite together, and are condensed into a solid bodj 

 which adheres firmly to the sides of the vesse 

 To this compound, which possesses acid propertie 

 the name of hydrosulphurous acid is applied. I 

 taste is acid and hot ; and it leaves an impressio 



i the mouth, which continues for some time. It 

 quires a greater heat to produce fusion than sul- 

 hur. Another compound of sulphur and hydrogen, 

 ailed bisulphuret of hydrogen, is formed as follows: 

 arbonute of potash is fused with an excess of sul- 

 liur in a covered crucible, by which a sulphuret of 

 otash is formed. A concentrated solution of this 

 ulphuret is poured, by little and little, into dilute 

 muriatic acid, which gives rise to a yellow, oily- 

 ooking liquid, which collects at the bottom of the 

 essel. This liquid is the bisulphuret of hydrogen. 

 t cannot be kept, for it undergoes spontaneous de- 

 omposition even in well-closed vessels, being con- 

 erted into sulphur and sulphureted hydrogen. 

 Sulphur has the property of combining with carbon, 

 nd of forming a very remarkable compound, called 

 isulphuret of carbon. It is formed as follows : 

 ''ill a porcelain tube with charcoal, and make it 

 iass through a furnace in such a way, that one end 

 hall be considerably elevated above the other. 

 Do the lower extremity lute a wide glass tube, of 

 uch a length and shape, that its end can be plunged 

 o the bottom of a glass bottle filled with water. 

 To the elevated extremity lute another wide glass 

 ube, filled with small bits of sulphur, and secured 

 at the further end, so that the sulphur may be 

 mshed forward by means of a wire, without allow- 

 ng the inside of the tube to communicate with the 

 external air. Heat the porcelain tube, and, conse- 

 quently, the charcoal which it contains, to redness, 

 and continue the heat, till air bubbles cease to come 

 Tom the charcoal ; then push the sulphur slowly, 

 and piece after piece, into the porcelain tube. A 

 substance passes through the glass tube, and con- 

 denses, under the water of the bottle, into a liquid. 

 This liquid was obtained by Lampadius in 1796, 

 and described under the name of alcohol of sulphur. 

 Lt is as transparent and colourless as water; its 

 taste is acid, pungent, and somewhat aromatic ; its 

 smell is nauseous and fetid, though quite peculiar ; 

 specific gravity 1-27. It boils at 105, and does 

 not congeal when cooled down to 60. It is one 

 of the most volatile liquids known, and produces a 

 greater degree of cold by its evaporation than any 

 other substance. It takes fire in the open air, at a 

 temperature scarcely above 620. It is scarcely 

 soluble in water ; but alcohol and ether dissolve it 

 readily. It is composed of sulphur 84 -83 and car- 

 bon 15-17. Bisulphuret of carbon was found by 

 doctor Brewster to exceed all fluid bodies in re- 

 fractive power. In dispersive power, it exceeds 

 every fluid substance except oil of cassia, holding 

 an intermediate place between phosphorus and bal- 

 sam of Tolu. Sulphur combines with boron, silicon 

 and phosphorus, and forms sulphurets of these sub- 

 stances. For an account of the sulphurets of the 

 metals, see the different metals. 



SULPHURIC ACID. See Sulphur. 



SULTAN, in Arabic, signifies mighty. The 

 Turkish emperor is called sultan, or grand sultan, 

 although the title of padishah is more dignified. 

 The princes of the family of the khan of the Crim 

 Tartars are also styled sultan. The pacha of Egypt 

 is likewise honoured with this title, by the inhabit- 

 ants of the country, but not at the court of Con- 

 stantinople. In common life, every person is ad- 

 dressed, out of civility, as sultanum (my lord). The 

 Europeans also call the wives of the sultan, sultanas; 

 but the Turks call them merely first, second, or 

 third wife, &c. The first is she who first bears a 

 son to the sultan. She is likewise called by Euro- 

 peans the favourite sultana. She ha the precedency 





