1844.] of Bodies ge tier all// existing as Gases. 119 



could not interfere with my results. In respect of the ether, I 

 have since found that the process is satisfactory ; for when I 

 purposely added ether vapour to air, so as to increase its bulk 

 by one-third, treatment like that above removed it, so as to 

 leave the air of its original volume. There was yet a slight 

 odour of ether left, but not so much as that conferred by adding 

 one volume of the vapour of ether to 1200 or 1500 volumes of 

 air. I find that when air is expanded ^th or ^rd more by the 

 addition of the vapour of ether, washing first of all with about 

 ^th of its volume of water, then again with about as much 

 water, and lastly with its volume of water, removes the ether to 

 such a degree, that though a little smell may remain, the air is 

 of its original volume. 



As already stated, it is the presence of other and more vola- 

 tile hydrocarbons than olefiant gas, which the tensions obtained 

 seemed to indicate, both in the gas and the liquid resulting 

 from its condensation. In a further search after these I dis- 

 covered a property of olefiant gas which I am not aware is 

 known (since I do not find it referred to in books), namely its 

 ready solubility in strong alcohol, ether, oil of turpentine, and 

 such like bodies*. Alcohol will take up two volumes of this 

 gas ; ether can absorb two volumes ; oil of turpentine two 

 volumes and a half; and olive oil one volume by agitation at 

 common temperatures and pressure ; consequently, when a 

 vessel of olefiant gas is transferred to a bath of any of these 

 liquids and agitated, absorption quickly takes place. 



Examined in this way, I have found no specimen of olefiant 

 gas that is entirely absorbed ; a residue always remains, which, 

 though I have not yet had time to examine it accurately, ap- 

 pears to be light carburetted hydrogen ; and I have no doubt 

 that this is the substance which has mainly interfered in my 

 former results. This substance appears to be produced in 

 every stage of the preparation of olefiant gas. On taking six 

 different portions of gas at different equal intervals, from first 

 to last, during one process of preparation, after removing the 

 sulphurous and carbonic acid and the ether as before described, 

 then the following was the proportion per cent, of insoluble 



* Water, as Berzelius and others have pointed out, dissolves about |th its 

 volume of olefiant gas, but I find that it also leaves an insoluble residue, which 

 burns like light carburetted hydrogen. 



