ON THE COMPOUNDS OF SULPHUR AND OXYGEN. 107 



ill very flowly, the effervefcence continues moderate ; nitrous Cbemical exa- 

 gas and oxymuriatic gas being evolved, as was evident, from l^j^j ' u^h or /" /- 

 the fmell. I diflblved 100 parts of the fulphuret in u'linc fbureud muriatic 

 acid. The liquid yielded, with nitrate of barytes, a folution ^"''* 

 which, when properly dried, weighed 282 parts, indicating 

 67.6 parts of fulphuric acid; but 67.6 of fiiiphuric acid con- 

 tain 26.3 oxygen. Hence 100 parts of fulphureted muriatic 

 kcid contain 41.3 of fulphur. 



If a cryftal of muriate of barytes be fufpended in fulphureted 

 muriatic acid, no precipitate takes place ; neither was any ob- 

 tained by agitating this fait in powder with the fulphuret. 

 Hence I conclude, that the fulphuret does not contain fulphu- 

 ric acid ; but that fulphuric acid is formed whenever the liquid 

 comes in contad with water. The oxygen cannot be fup- 

 pofed to have been previoufly united to the muriatic acid (o- 

 lution. For I find, by trial, that if the oxymuriatic acid gas be 

 flill made to pafs through the fulphuret, after it is once formed, 

 fulphuric acid immediately makes its appearance in it. The 

 oxygen then mufl have been combined with the fulphur; the 

 whole of which was in the (late of an oxide. Whenever the 

 fulphuret is diluted with water, that oxide undergoes decom- 

 pofition, one portion of it abflrafting the whole of the oxygen 

 from the other, fo that fulphuric acid and fulphur make their 

 appearance together. 



If we fuppofe the proportion of fulphur and fulphuric acid 

 obtained by the firft analyfis to be that which is formed when 

 the fulphur is mixed with water, we fliall have the oxide of 

 fulphur corapofed of 



31.82 fulphur 

 6.10 fulphuric acid 



or of S3. 54 fulphur 



2.38 oxygen 



or per cent, of 93. 8 fulphur 

 6. 2 oxygen 



100. 

 But the fulphuret yielded to nitric acid 41.3 per cent, of 

 fulphur. Hence it muft contain 44 per cent, of oxide of ful- 

 phur. Sulphureted nniriatic acid then contains 

 44.00 oxide of fulphur 

 35.75 muriatic acid 

 20.25 lofs 



100.00 



