tpS Trof. Berzelius's Experiments 



nitrous gas, with a strong smell of muriated sulphur, was 

 slowly evolved. After the space of a week, the liquor began 

 to cover itself with a white crystalline substance, losing at the 

 same time its colour. On stirring the mixture, these crystals 

 fell to the bottom, where they were immediately dissolved by 

 the remaining sulphuret of carbon. This, however, in pro- 

 portion as it saturated itself with the new formed substance, 

 gradually lost its colour, acquired a greater consistence, and 

 at last, at the end of three weeks, it was entirely converted 

 into a solid white crystalline body, having the appearance of 

 camphor. 



This substance being separated from the acid, and washed 

 with cold water, presented the following characters : it was 

 colourless ; its smell resembled both that of muriated sulphur 

 and of oxyd of osmium ; its taste was both acrid and acid ; it 

 was very volatile, melted at a gentle heat, and sublimed with- 

 out residue. In fact, this body very closely resembles cam- 

 phor in its external properties. It is insoluble in water, but 

 readily dissolves in alcohol and ether, from which it is precipi- 

 tated by water; it is also soluble in the oils, whether fixed or 

 volatile, with which it forms transparent solutions. The spi- 

 rituous solution of this substance has a peculiar, disagreeable, 

 and very acid taste. It reddens litmus paper, and dissolves 

 zinc with the disengagement of an extremely fetid gas. From 

 this solution,'a spirituous liquor is obtained by distillation, which 

 possesses the same smell, and leaves a residue of muriate and 

 sulphate of zinc. When a pure solution of the peculiar sub- 

 stance in alcohol is submitted to distillation, the products are, 

 first, some sulphureous acid gas, and then alcohol strongly 

 impregnated with muriatic ether ; after which the air of the 



