C 171 : 



XXIir. Experiments on the Alcohol of Sulphur , or Sulphuret of 

 Carbon. By J. Berzelius, M. D. F.R.S. Professor of Che- 

 mistry at Stockholm; ^72^ Alexander Marcet, M, D. F.R.S. 



one of the Physicians to Guy's Hospital. 



%, 



Read May 13, 1813. 



1 HERE has been, of late years, much discussion respecting 

 the nature of a singular oily liquid, which was first noticed 

 by Mr. Lampadius,* who procured it by distillation from a 

 mixture of pyrites and charcoal, and gave it the name of alco- 

 hoi of sulphury on account of its very great volatility. 



Lampadius considered this liquid as a compound of sulphur 

 and hydrogen; but Messrs. Clement and Desormes,*!' who 

 obtained the same substance by subliming sulphur through 

 red hot charcoal, were led by their researches to conclude, 

 that the alcohol of sulphur was a combination of sulphur a id 

 charcoal, and that hydrogen was not one of its constituent 

 principles. 



Doubts, however, were entertained respecting the chemical 

 nature of this compound. Mr. Berthollet believed it to be a 

 triple combination of sulphur, charcoal, and hydrogen. J 

 Messrs.VAUQUELiN and RoBiQUET,§ from a joint enquiry on the 

 subject, considered it as a binary compound of sulphur aad 



* Cr ell's Annals, 1796. II. 



f Annales de Chimie, An. X. Vol. XLII. p. izi. % Ibid. p. sS6. 



§ Ibid. Vol. LXI. p. 145. 



MDCCCXIII. A a 



