130 AZOTIC GAS, 



was in excess in the salt decomposed the sal- 

 ammoniac ; and the ammonia, as it was evolved, 

 came in contact with chlorine, and was decom- 

 posed ; the hydrogen uniting with the chlorine, 

 and the azote being disengaged in the gaseous 

 state. The action is so violent, if the dry sal- 

 ammoniac be dropped at once into the retort, 

 that it is difficult to collect the whole gas ; but 

 when the salt is wrapped in paper, the action 

 is slow, and the gas may be all collected with 

 the greatest facility. The azotic gas obtained in 

 this process was 11*7 cubic inches, at the tem- 

 perature of 47, and when the barometer stood 

 at 29*93 inches. This is equivalent to 11-853 

 cubic inches of dry gas, of the temperature 60, 

 and under a pressure of 30 inches mercury. 



This constitutes the whole amount of the azo- 

 tic gas in 4*25 grains of ammonia, the quantity 

 contained in 13*5 grains of dry sal-ammoniac. 

 Now, 11 '853 cubic inches of azotic gas weigh 

 3*5147 grains : Hence it follows, that the weight 

 of the other constituent, the hydrogen, is 0*7353 

 grain. Consequently, ammonia is composed of 



Azote 1-7573 or 1 volume 



Hydrogen 0-3676 2'9* 



2-1250 



The small excess of azote in this experiment was 

 owing to a small admixture of common air with 



