INFLAMMABLE GAS. 259 



11. Having thus ascertained the properties of the gas from Experiments 

 peat, we may easily determine whether the opinion by Mr. tio'^J^s^onThe in- 

 Wilh'am Henry, be well founded, namely, that this gas is a flammable gas 

 mixture of the inflammable gases with which we are already ^""""^ P*^^-- 

 acquainted. 



Of the four known inflammable gases^ namely, the defiant 

 gas, carbureted hydrogen, carbonic oxide, and hydrogen, of 

 which alone, from its properties, it can be a mixture, we must 

 exclude the first, because the bulk of the gas from peat is not 

 sensibly diminished by oxymuriatic acid. Only three hypo- 

 theses, then, can be formed ; namely, 1st, that it is a mixture 

 of carbureted hydrogen and carbonic oxide; 2d, that it is a 

 mixture of carbonic oxide and hydrogen; or, 3d, that it is a 

 mixture of these three gases all together. Let us examine 

 these hypotheses. 



According to the first hypothesis, our gas is a mixture of 

 carbonic oxide and carbureted hydrogen. 



The specific gravity of carbonic oxide is . . 9560=a 

 carbureted hydrogen 6000=i^ 

 gas from peat . . . . 8128=c 



Let these numbers respectively be denoted by the letters 

 a, h, and c, and let the portion of carbonic oxide in the mix- 

 ture be X, and that of carbureted hydrogen, y, then, by a well- 

 known property of fluids, we have x:i/'.: c — b : a — c. Hence, 

 since x +^=100, we obtain jc=5y.78 andy=^40.20; so that 

 if the gas from peat be a mixture of these two gases, it must 

 be composed of 



Carbonic oxide ... 60 

 Carbureted hydrogen 40 



100 

 Now, 60 measures of carbonic oxide and 40 of carbureted 

 hydrogen, when burnt, combine with the following proportions 

 of oxygen, and form the following proportions of carbonic 

 acid; and the mixture undergoes the following diminution gf 

 bulk. 



Y2 60 



