330 Notice from Dr. Robert Hare. 



explosion. Of this I conceive I have discovered the explanation. 

 By a great number of experiments, performed with the aid of my 

 barometer gauge Eudiometer, I have ascertained that if during 

 the explosion of the gaseous elements of water any gaseous or 

 volatile inflammable matter be present, instead of condensing 

 there will be a permanent gas formed by the union of the nas- 

 cent water with the inflammable matter. Thus two volumes of 

 oxygen, with four of hydrogen, and one of olefiant gas, give six 

 volumes of permanent gas, which burns and smells like light 

 carburetted hydrogen. The same quantity of the pure hydrogen 

 and oxygen with half a volume of hydric ether gives on the aver- 

 age the same residue. One volume of the new hyponitrous ether 

 under like circumstances produced five volumes of gas. 



An analogous product is obtained when the same aqueous ele- 

 ments are inflamed in the presence of an essential oil. With oil of 

 turpentine a gas was obtained weighing per hundred cubic inches 

 16j^o grs., which is nearly the gravity of light carburetted hydro- 

 gen. The gas obtained from olefiant gas,- or from ether, weighed 

 on the average, per the same bulk V^^n g^s. The olefiant gas 

 which I used weighed per hundred cubic inches only 30 y\ grs. 

 Of course if per se expanded into six volumes it could have 

 weighed only one sixth of that weight, or little over five grains 

 per hundred cubic inches. There can therefore be no doubt that 

 the gas obtained by the means in question, is chiefly constituted 

 of water, or of its elements in the same proportion H^O. 



With a volume of the new ether, six volumes of the mixture 

 of hydrogen and oxygen give on the average about five residual 

 volunies. The gas created in either of the modes above men- 

 tioned does not contain carbonic acid, and when generated from 

 olefiant gas appears by analysis to yield the same quantity of 

 carbon and hydrogen as that gas afl'ords before expansion. 



These facts point out a source of error in experiments, for ana- 

 lyzing gaseous mixtures by ignition with oxygen or hydrogen, in 

 which the consequent condensation is appealed to as a basis for an 

 estimate. It appears that the resulting water may form new pro- 

 ducts with certain volatilizable substances which may be present. 



From the account of the proceedings of the Section, published 

 in the Atheneum, it appears, that after my letter, in which the 

 facts above mentioned were stated, was read, a Mr. Maugham, 



