INFLAMMABLE GAS. 2^9 



Here the quantity of oxygen consumed is less than in the Experiments 



preceding experiments. On repeating the combustion over and observa- 

 i^ 6 t . r L • ., tions onthein- 



mercury, I obtained 60.63 as the proportion ot carbonic acid flammable gas 



from 100 gas consumed. fro"™ pe*^- 



Here 60 inches of oxygen went to the formation of carbonic 



acid and 97 to the formation of water. These last must have 



combined with what was equivalent to 194. inches of hydrogen 



gas. 



60 inches of carbonic acid gas contain of carbon 7.81 grs. 



194 inches of hydrogen weigh — 5.04 



Total 12.85 

 Weight of 100 inches of gas 1 8.85 



Residue 6 



This residue must be water, and composed of 



5.15 oxygen 

 .85 hydrogen 



6.00 



^ence, the gas is composed of 7.81 carbon 



5.89 hydrogen 

 5.15 oxygen 

 ,or, per cent, of 41.45 carbon 



31.25 hydrogen 

 27.30 oxygen 



100.00 



These experiments were not, perhaps, sufficiently numerous t© 

 ensure results that can be altogether depended on ; yet, as they 

 were made with all possible care, and some of them repeated 

 two or three times, the errors, I think, cannot be very great. 



It is obvious that this inflammable gas, especially the last 

 portion, cannot be a mixture of carbonic oxide and carbureted 

 hydrogen, as its specific gravity is but very little greater than 

 the lightest of these gases. It cannot be carbureted hydrogen, 

 because it neither consumes so much oxygen, nor forms nearly 

 so much carbonic oxide. But as the gas from peat varies in its 

 specific gravity and in its other properties, it is not improbable 

 that it is a mixture of two gases which vary in their propor- 

 tions. One of them ma^ be carbonic oxide; but I think I 



have 



