Sulphurous Ether and Sulphate of Etherine. 277 



received opinion of the re-agents employed. Since the affinity be- 

 tween the ammonia and sulphurous acid is energetic, it did not ap- 

 pear to be reasonable to suppose, that a copious escape of the one 

 should be caused by its admixture with the other ; and it was no less 

 improbable that the vaporization of hydric ether, in its natural state, 

 could take place at temperatures so much below its boiling point as 

 those at which this phenomenon was noticed. In order to ascertain 

 the truth, I luted a funnel, furnished with a glass cock and an air 

 tight stopple, into the tubulure of a retort, of which the beak was so 

 recurved downwards as to enter and be luted into the tubulure of an- 

 other retort. The beak of the latter passed under a bell over water. 



Both retorts were about half full of liquid ammonia, and surround- 

 ed with ice. The apparatus being thus arranged, about a thousand 

 grains of the ethereal sulphurous sulphate of etherine were poured 

 into the funnel, and thence gradually allowed to descend into the 

 ammonia in the first retort. Notwithstanding the refrigeration, much 

 heat was perceptible, and a copious evolution of vapor, which, pass- 

 ing into the second retort, was there absorbed or condensed, none 

 being observed to reach the bell glass. At the close of the opera- 

 tion, hydric ether, holding oil of wine in solution, floated upon the 

 ammonia in the first retort, and pure ether, of the same kind, floated 

 on the ammonia in the second. 



The ammonia in both retorts gave indications of the presence of 

 sulphurous acid, on the addition of sulphuric acid. From these re- 

 sults, I inferred that a chemical compound of sulphurous acid and 

 hydric ether formed the principal portion of the yellow liquid, and 

 might be separated by distillation. Accordingly, by means of retorts 

 arranged and refrigerated as above described, I procured a portion 

 of sulphurous ether, which boiled at 44°, and which, when agitated 

 with ammonia in a bottle, produced so much heat and consequent 

 vapor, as to expel the whole contents in opposition to the pressure 

 of my thumb. By employing the same distillatory apparatus, I 

 subjected 2150 grains of the ethereal sulphate of etherine to distilla- 

 tion, and obtained 726 grains of sulphurous ether, which boiled as 

 soon as the frigorific mixture was removed from the containing re- 

 tort. This being redistilled, as in a former experiment, so as to re- 

 ceive the product in ammonia, left in the retort five grains of oil of 

 wine. The resulting ammoniacal liquid, saturated with chloride of 

 barium in solution, gave a precipitate which, agreeably to the table 

 jof equivalents, contained 356 grains of sulphurous acid. 



