INFLAMMABLE GAS. 26l 



Here the diminution of bulk is very different from the Experiments 

 truth, while oxygen consumed does not amount to half the real ^/J^n^on^ug ]„. 

 quantity. This hypothesis, then, is still less admissible than flammable gas 

 the former. *'""'" P«^t- 



(3) The third hypothesis only remains to be examined, ac- 

 cording to which, our gas is a mixture of carbonic oxide, car- 

 bureted hydrogen and hydrogen. 



It is obvious that, according to this hypothesis, the quantity 

 of carbonic oxide present in 100 measures of the gas from peat, 

 can never be less than 60 measures, nor greater than 83 ; that 

 the carbureted hydrogen can never amount to 40 measures, 

 nor the hydrogen to 16. But within these limits there is an 

 infinite number of proportions of these gases, which will pro- 

 duce a gas having exactly the specific gravity of the gas from 

 peat. If, however, we make the supposition, which will be 

 sufficiently precise for our purpose, that one of the gases shall 

 always be present in the mixture, in such proportions as to 

 constitute a whole number of measures, then the number of 

 such mixture becomes limited. Thus, if we pitch upon car- 

 bonic oxide as the gas which must make a whole number of 

 measures, then the number of mixtures will scarcely exceed 

 20. But it is needless to examine the products of the combus- 

 tion of such mixtures, because none of them approach the pro- 

 perties of the gas from peat so nearly as the mixture of carbonic 

 oxide and carbureted hydrogen. The following are a few 

 examples. 







Oxygen 

 consumed. 



Carbonic 



Acid 

 formed. 



t>imin«- 

 tion of 

 Bulk. 



Carbonic Oxide 



63 



28.35, 



46.70 



34 65 



Carbureted Hydrogen 



34..7r> 



69.52 



34.76 



69.52 



Hydrogen 



2.24 



1.12 



0- 



3.36 



Total . . . 



100 



98.99 



91.46 



107.53 



y 3 



Carbonic 



