ANALYSIS OF AMMONIA. J^A 



■po ammonia. 7*2 measures of it, detonated with 3*8 of 

 pxigen, ieft a residuum ot" 3*5. 



The third portion wqs equal to 5 cubical inches ? at this 3d, 

 time the tube was white hot; it contained no ammonia, 8'5 

 .of it detonated with 4*5 of oxigen diminished to 2*5, 



The last portion was a cubical inch and half, collected 4th,- 

 when the heat was mosst intense. 4"5 measures, with 3'75 

 of oxigen, left a residuiwn of 2'8. 



The iron tube contained, after the experiment, (as was as- Contents of 

 certainetl by admitting hidrogen when it was cool), 4"7 of^^^^"'^^^ 

 gas; which seemed of the same composition as the last por- 

 tion. The adaptors must have contained '8 of a similar gas. 



The tube contained potash in its lowest part, and its up- 

 per part potassium, which gave by its action upon water i^ 

 cubical inch of hidrogen. 



As the largest quantity of hidrogen is always produced at The fusible 

 that period of the process, in which the potassium must be substance dis- 

 conceived to be regenerated, and in which the gasses being ff^^^i quantity 

 in the nascent state, its power of action upon them would be of potassium. 

 greatest, it occured to me, that if nitrogen was deconiposed 

 in the operation, there would probably be a larger quantity 

 of it destroyed by the distillation of the fusible substance, 

 with a fresh quantity of potassium, than by the distiUatioa 

 of it in its common state. On this idea I made several ex- 

 periments; the results did not differ much from each other, 

 and were such as I had expected. I shall describe one pro- 

 cess made with the same apparatus as that which I have just 

 detailed. — Barometer was at 29*5, thermometer 70° Fahren- 

 heit. 



6 grains of potassium were employed in an iron tra}'; 10 

 cubical inches of ammonia were absorbed, a small globule 

 of metal remained unconverted into the fusible substance. 

 A fresh piece of potassmm, weighing six grains, was intro- 

 duced into the tray. 



The iron tube and adaptors (having together a capacity 

 equal to 4*3 cubical inches) contained common air. 



The gas was collected in three portions, there was no ab- 

 sorbable quantiy of ammonia in either of them. 



The first porticau, that produced before the tube became i,t poriio« 



red, of «^«« 



