COMPOUND OF SULPHUK AND PHOSPHORUS. '3 



the vial being liquified, (which was the intent of immerfing 

 it into heated water) he removed the vial out of the fluid, 

 taking care to clofe its orifice with his finger, and then agitated 

 it gently. The moment this was began the vial biirfi: to 

 pieces with a report like a gun, the burning mixture was 

 thrown in all diredtions, and the whole laboratory was filled 

 Ibr fome hours with a very denfe cloud of white vapours. 



Being thus fufficiently convinced of the danger which attends Careful exami. 

 the combination of phofphorus with fulphur, under fuch cir- "j^^'""^^^^^ ^ 

 cumftances, I introduced into a Wedgwood's tube clofed at Phofphorus, 

 one end, two drachms of phofphorus, and double that quantity '"'P^""^ a"<]. 



* f r ' I ^ water expofed t» 



of fulphur. I then added four ounces of water, and clofed diftiUation. 



the other extremity of the tube with a cork, into which a 



bended tube was cemented, which terminated under a glafs 



cylinder filled with mercury, {landing inverted in a bafon 



containing the fame fluid. I then reclined the tube, and 



applyed heat to that part which contained the phofphorus and 



fulphur; on increafing the heat gradually a quantity of gas afforded a gas 



was coUeded, which amounted to nearly two quarts. But ^^^^ °^' ^°^' 



BO explofion took place. 



To learn the nature of this gas, I transferred a quantity of wHkh, added t* 



it into the water apparatus, and agitated it in contact with ^°^j'!^'°^^''^'..^ 



that fluid flrongly for a few minutes. Its volume was now fluid j 



confiderably diminiflied. On repeating the experiment in 



diftilled water, it was found that this fluid abforbed nearly ^ 



of its own bulk. On fending up one part of atmofpheric air but took fire 



into a cylinder holding fix parts of this gas, an inftantaneous*' ^" ^ ?* 



-^ or fc> ' portion of com- 



inflammation enfued, the cylinder became filled with white men air was 



fumes, and a white cruft lined the inner furface of the glafs. ^^^f^ ^^ ^ '"S^f 



° of the gas. 



Finding thus that the gafeous produ6l was decompofable by 



atmofpheric air, I collected another quantity of gas, in a fimilar The refidue of 



manner as before ; and mingled it gradually with oxigen rf^ decom- 



gas till no further accenfion enfued. The gas left behind was azote. 



amounted to -g^ of the whole. It had all the properties of 



nitrogen gas. 



The white flakes which were colle6ted from the fides of the The precipitates 



glafs cylinder, as well as from the furface of the mercury over^'"?^ 'P ? 



which the experiments were made, attracted moifture rapidly^ phofphoricaddn 



and became converted into a cream-like fluid. They confined 



©f fulphur, fulphuric and phofphoric acids. 



B 2 Oxigenated 



