1823.] of several Gases into Liquids. 93 



brown, and the atmosphere of a bright yellow colour. The 

 mixture was then heated up to 100, and the unoccupied end 

 of the tube cooled to ; by degrees the mixture lost its dark 

 colour, and a very fluid ethereal-looking substance condensed. 

 It was not miscible with a small portion of the sulphuric acid 

 which lay beneath it ; but when returned on to the mass of 

 salt and acid, it was gradually absorbed, rendering the mixture 

 of a much deeper colour even than itself. 



Euchlorine thus obtained is a very fluid transparent sub- 

 stance, of a deep yellow colour. A tube containing a portion 

 of it in the clean end, was opened at the opposite extremity ; 

 there was a rush of euchlorine vapour, but the salt plugged 

 up the aperture: whilst clearing this away, the whole tube 

 burst with a violent explosion, except the small end in a cloth 

 in my hand, where the euchlorine previously lay, but the fluid 

 had all disappeared. 



Nitrous Oxide. Some nitrate of ammonia, previously made 

 as dry as could be by partial decomposition by heat in the 

 air, was sealed up in a bent tube, and then heated in one end, 

 the other being preserved cool. By repeating the distillation 

 once or twice in this way, it was found, on after-examination, 

 that very little of the salt remained undecomposed. The pro- 

 cess requires care. I have had many explosions with very 

 strong tubes, and at considerable risk. 



When the tube is cooled, it is found to contain two fluids, 

 and a very compressed atmosphere. The heavier fluid on ex- 

 amination proved to be water, with a little acid and nitrous 

 oxide in solution ; the other was nitrous oxide. It appears in 

 a very liquid, limpid, colourless state ; and so volatile, that the 

 warmth of the hand generally makes it disappear in vapour. 

 The application of ice and salt condenses abundance of it into 

 the liquid state again. It boils readily by the difference of 

 temperature between 50 and 0. It does not appear to have 

 any tendency to solidify at 10. Its refractive power is very 

 much less than that of water, and less than any fluid that has 

 yet been obtained in these experiments, or than any known 

 fluid. A tube being opened in the air, the nitrous oxide im- 

 mediately burst into vapour. Another tube was opened under 

 water ; the vapour being collected and examined proved to 

 be nitrous oxide gas. A gauge being introduced into a tube, 



