2 COMPOUND or SULPHUR AND PHOSPHORUS. 



Very dangerous cident alluded to, happened in tlie following manner. Half 

 ^'' "om'binacion ^" ounce of pliofpliorus, cut into pieces of the fize of a pea, 

 of halt an ounce was introduced into a Florence flafk, containing about ten 



of phofphorus, Qi,,^ces of water ; one ounce of fulphur broken into fragments 

 ten ounces or . '^ ° 



water and one of about the fame lize was added, and the whole placed on a 

 ounce of fulphuii,eat(.jl fand-bath. In a few minutes the union of the phof- 

 phorus and fulphur was effeded. On leaving the whole in 

 the heated fand, for about ten minutes longer, the empty part 

 of the flafk became filled with denfe white fumes, which in- 

 creafed more and more ; being unable to obferve what change 

 was taking place, I carefully removed the flafk out of the 

 fand-bath, and agitated the fluid in fucli a manner, that the 

 fufed compound of phofphorus and fulphur flill remained under 

 the furface of the water. But the inftant this was done, the 

 whole exploded in my hand with a tremenduous report ; the 

 mixture of the burning phofphorus was thrown into my face, 

 and occafioned very painful wounds; the pieces of the Florence 

 flafk were fcattered all over the laboratory, as fine as fand, 

 and the larger parts of the neck of this veflel were driven into 

 my right hand, as well as into the wall, to a confiderable 

 depth. 

 Repetition of Anxious to underfland the nature of this unexpedled ex- 



t e experinien^^ pl^£-^^ j ^g^j^^ expofed to heat, in a fimilar manner, two 

 alfo with larger drachms of phofphorus and half an ounce of coarfely powder- 

 mTterlair ° Vx^-^ ^^^ fulphur, in a fmall flafk containing four ounces of water, 

 plofion as before. The mixture, after having been left in a heated fand-bath 

 for about ten minutes, exploded with prodigious violence, 

 and a flafli of fire rofe up to the celling. The fame experi- 

 ment was repeated with larger quantities of phofphorus and 

 fulphur, three fucceflSve times, with fimilar efTefts. Thefe 

 experiments were made at the laboratory, and in the prefence 

 of the Right Honourable Lord Camelford, who liberally 

 fupplied the materials for thefe and the following experiments, 

 and permitted them to be made on his premifes. 

 Another ac Before I advance any thing further concerning the accenfion 



fion"of the''fame°^ ^'^'^ compound, I beg leave to relate one infiance more of 

 nature. a fimilar nature, which happened lately in my own laboratory. 



Mr. Garden, a philofophical gentleman immerfed into a 

 vefl^el filled with warm water, a vial containing fix ounces of 

 phofphorus, to which had been previoufly added one drachm 

 of a mixture of phofphorus and fulphur. The contents of 



the 



