COMPOSITION OF SULPHURIC ETHER» 327 



air equal to unity, into which the ether is introduced, will 

 occupy, in consequence of the expansion of the ethereal 

 vapour, a space equal to 2'6341. I obtained the same re- 

 sult by passing a drop of ether into a receiver full of air 

 over mercury, and measuring this air both before and after 

 the dilatation. 



A thousand inches of atmospheric air dilated by the va- 

 pour of ether contained therefore 379-63 cubic inches of 

 pure atmospheric air, which weighed 161*9 grains. 



I found by a direct experiment, that 1000 cubic inches 1000 cubic 

 of atmospheric air dilated by the vapour of ether weighed 6"4!47^rafns 

 816*37 grains. Consequently 1000 cubic inches of pnre 

 ethereal vapour weigh in atmospheric air 816-37— 161'9= 

 631-47 grains, according to the principle, that elastic va- 

 pour has the same Aveight in the air and in vacuo. {See ^ 

 Jiote at the end of this paper.) ^ 



Oxigen gas dilated as much as it can be in the common Oxigen gas di- 



temperature by the vapour of ether will not take fire by the ^^^^^ ^^ J?"^^, 



. , /as possible with 



electric spark. The reason is, the vapour of ether is too vapour of ether 



abundant, or, in other words, the oxigen gas too much """ ^'^ ^^^^^°^ ** 

 rarefied. Alcoholized oxigen gas likewise does not take electricity. 

 fire, but from an opposite cause, the alcoholic vapour be- 

 ing too much rarefied; for, on adding pure oxigen gas to 

 the alcoholized oxigen, the vapour does not take fire, be- 

 cause it is still more rarified ; but if pure oxigen gas be 

 added to the etherised oxigen, the vapour inflames. 



I mixed over mercury 100 parts by measure of etherised Vapour of ether 

 oxigen gas with 504 parts of oxigen gas, and detonated j^^ggproportioi;* 

 them by the electric spark. The explosion burst the eudi- of oxigen. 

 ©meters, which were not very thick. The 604 parts of 

 aeriform fluid, which before the detonation contained 

 541-96 parts of oxigen gas, were reduced by their combus- 

 tion to 344-31 parts, in which a second eudiometrical ana- 

 lysis showed there were 230-51 parts of carbonic acid gas, 

 and 113-8 of oxigen gas. The residue of the first operation 

 contained a dew, Avhich appeared to be aqueous, and was 

 void of smell. 



One hundred parts by measure of vapour of ether there- Produce of 

 p Ar^n, ^ - , e • *. 1 • 65-447 grainsor 



fore consume 428-lo parts of oxigen gas*, leaving as a ^,^p^^^j.«^g^j^gj.^ 



residuum 



, * If with ctherispd oxigen gas we mix a less quantity of oxigen soot appears in 



gas sojne cases. 



