204 



in the white part of flame, the perchlorate of ethule will yield a vol- 

 ume of gas 2§ times as great as that yielded by an equal weight of 

 gunpowder, and 2 £ times the amount yielded by chloride of nitrogen; 

 while, if the explosion be supposed to take place in a vessel of the 

 exact capacity of the substance, and strong enough to withstand the 

 pressure exercised against its sides, this pressure would be with gun- 

 powder 1566 atmospheres, with chloride of nitrogen 2852, and with 

 perchlorate of ethule (the specific gravity of this latter being assumed 

 to be 1.4) 5648; or the latter would be 3| times that of gunpowder, 

 and twice that of chloride of nitrogen. 



Gunpowder 



Chloride of 

 nitrogen 



Perchlorate 

 of raethule 



Perchlorate f 

 of ethule 





*j a 





a c 





. o# 





E ^ © 





•S-° c 





§ =s 





S-a *j 





jiS'a 







J 

















IH 



utio 



P. 



3-» 





= °i 



>. 



~o tc 



o 



> 



35.5 



330 





371 



55.8 



682 



49.7 



868 



£42 



Eg'; 



3 vol. Carb. acid, 



1 ,, Nitrogen. 

 C 3 vol. Chlorine, 

 \ 1 ,, Nitrogen. 



2 vol. Carb. acid, 

 2 „ Steam, 



I 2 „ Chlorohyd. acid, 



I I » Oxygen. 



C 4 vol. Carb. oxide, 



<4 „ Steam, 



£2 ,, Chlorohyd. acid. 



1.39 

 2.07 



1.41 



0.89 



** *5 



1536 

 1726 



3170 

 4034 



1566| 



2852 



4438§ 

 5648§ 



1. 



1.8 



2.S 

 3.6 



* The steam is here, for convenience, considered not to condense, but to 

 contract regularly from 100° to 0° as a permanent gas. 



t This number also expresses the pressure in atmospheres at the moment of 

 explosion. 



t Gunpowder is here assumed to have the specific gravity of 1.02, as given 

 in Ure's Dictionary, and to have the usual composition of 75 per cent, of nitre. 

 An experiment with Dupont's best Eagle powder, when well shaken together 

 by tapping on the outside of the vessel, gave the specific gravity of 1.055. An 

 analysis of it yielded nitre 77.28, carbon 12.58, sulphur 10.14. It lost by desic- 

 cation, in vacuo over sulphuric acid, 0.86 per cent, of hygroscopic moisture, 

 and yielded 0.87 per cent, of ashes, of a bright reddish colour from its carbon. 



§ The specific gravity of the perchlorates of the oxides of methule and ethule 

 is unknown, but is assumed to be 1.4, as they are much heavier than water. 



