NEW METHOD OF ANALYSING AMMONIA. 365 



spark*. In this way all the hidrogen of the volatile alkali 

 may be saturated with oxigen, and condensed into water ; 

 and the whole of the nitrogen may be obtained as a final 

 result of the process. After determining the amount of the 

 oxigen, consumed both in the first and second combustions, 

 it is easy to calculate the quantity of hidrogen, in the satu- 

 ration of which it has been employed; for when no nitrous 

 acid has been formed, the hidrogen will be, pretty exactly, 

 double in volume the oxigen which has been expended. 



These general observations will tend to render the fol- 

 lowing experiments more intelligible. They may be divided 

 into two classes, 1st, those in which ammonia was fired 

 with an excessive proportion of oxigen ; and 2dly, those in 

 which the oxigen, used in the first combustion, was insuf- 

 ficient, or barely adequate, to saturate the whole hidrogen 

 of the alkali. 



I. Decomposition of Ammonia by an Excess of oxigen Gas. 

 Twenty-two measures and a third of ammonia were mixed Ammonia de- 

 with 44f oxigen containing 43 of pure gas. The total 67 exSstfS- 

 became 34 when exploded. Water did not produce any gen. 

 farther diminution, but sulphuret of lime left only 8 mea- 

 sures. Now 34 — 8 = 26 show the quantity of oxigen 

 gas, which escaped condensation ; and this, deducted from 

 the original quantity (43) gives 17 measures for the amount 

 of the oxigen expended. The last number 17, being mul- 

 tiplied by 2, gives 34 for the hidrogen apparently con- 

 sumed. The final residue 8 — 1*66 (the nitrogen intro- 

 duced by the oxigen gas) = 6-34 is the nitrogen obtained 

 from 22y of ammonia ; and if to this the hidrogen be added, 

 40*34 measures of permanent gas will be the total result. 

 Hence 100 measures of the gas producible from ammonia 

 should contain 84*29 hidrogen and 15*71 nitrogen; num. 



* This is analogous to what happens, when ether, alcohol, or 

 any of the aeriform compounds of carbon and hidrogen, are ex- 

 ploded with a deficient proportion of oxigen ; for much of the 

 hidrogen is found in the residuum in the state of gas, and again 

 becomes susceptible of combustion after the addition of a second 

 quantity of oxigen. (See Mr. Cruikshank's excellent papers in the 

 5th Folume of Nicholson's Journal, Ato.) 



bers 



