xin THE DECOMPOSITION OF THE ALKALIS 261 



The formation of water was attributed to the oxidation of 

 the inflammable constituent of the ammonia by the oxygen 

 of the acid. Berthollet concluded from this experiment 

 that " the inflammable gas of water is a constituent part of 

 the volatile alkali" (Mem. Acad. Set., Paris, 1785, 99, 319). 

 The inert constituent was first examined as a product of 

 the action of chlorine on ammonia. 



" The gas obtained from a mixture of volatile alkali and 

 [chlorine] showed all the negative properties which 

 characterise phlogisticated air or atmospheric [azote]. 1 ... It 

 follows that the volatile alkali is a compound of inflammable 

 air and [azote], and this result will be confirmed by the 

 experiments which will follow" (ibid. p. 320). 



A more careful study of the gas from fulminating gold 

 proved that this gas was actually nitrogen. 



" I made use of the gas which is set free in the detonation 

 of fulminating gold, in order to assure myself that it is 

 really [azote] that is contained in the volatile alkali; to 

 obtain it pure I filled a small glass retort with boiled 

 water, in which I placed the fulminating gold ; I distilled 

 this water at the pneumatic trough ; when the retort was 

 dry, most of the fulminating gold detonated, and although 

 there were seven grains of it, the retort was not broken, 

 because the mouth was free; by plunging the retort into 

 water I collected the gas which had been set free; I 

 mixed it with the proportions of vital air indicated by 

 Cavendish; I submitted this mixture to the action of 

 electricity, and the diminution which it experienced was 

 similar to that which one obtains when dealing with 

 atmospheric [azote]" (ibid. pp. 321 322). 



"One can now explain the properties of fulminating 

 gold : the gold is there present as a calx, that is to say, 

 united with vital air ; it is also combined with volatile 

 alkali, as Bergman has so well shown ; the inflammable 

 gas of the volatile alkali forms water with the vital air, its 



1 " Mofette" is the word used in the original paper. 



