bN SULPHUk AND PHOSPttORUS. |4'jr 



1iave not been able to operate upon such a scale, as to in?ili8 

 an accurate examination of the subbtances jnst described, 

 and to determine the quantity of oxigen they absorb in be- 

 ing converted into acid. Metallic vessels of course caunot 

 be employed ; but I intend to try tubes of porcelain, in a 

 farther investigation of the subject. 



It is evident, that the sulphur and phosphorus, separated The "i-'Iphnr 

 in these processes, are not in their common state ; and the ^' " j; '"^pho- 



' US cij',.'C/ir to 



phenomena would certainly incline one to believe, that they i.ave leftsoHie 



are less oxigenated. It may, 1 knov^r, be said, that it is pos- ''^'S^"* 



sible that they are merely combined with more hidrogen, 



and that the sulphur in this state is analogous to the hidro- 



genated sulphur of Berthollet, and to the alcohol of sulphur 



of Lampadius. 



But when 1 decompounded dry sulphuret of potash by Action of sul 



muriatic acid, of the same kind as had been used for de- ^^^""^ °" "^^^^^ 



coal, 

 compounding the sulphuret of potassiiirti, the fubstance 



produced feera^ed to be merely in that form, in which, ac- 

 cording to the able researches of Dr. Thompson, it is com- 

 bined with water; and notwithstanding the ingenious ex- 

 periments of Mr. A. Berthollet, and Mr. Robiquet*, the 

 nature of the substance produced during the passage of sul- 

 phur over ignited charcoal is far from being fully ascertain- 

 ed. In a series of experiments, which my brother, Mr, John 

 Davy, had the goodness to undertake, at my request, in the 

 laboratory of the Royal Institution, on the action of sulphur 

 on charcoal, the products were found to be very different, 

 according as the charcoal employed differed in its nature. 

 In an instance, in which imperfectly made charcoal was em- 

 ployed, the liquor that passed over left by combustion a re' 

 siduum that had all the properties of carbonaceous matter, 

 which agrees with the observations of Messrs. Desormes and 

 Clement; but when the charcoal had been well burnt, there 

 was no such residuum produced. It was found, that the 

 same charcoal might be employed in a number of processes, 

 till it was nearly entirely consumed, and that the sulphur, 

 not rendered liquid, might be used for several operations. 



• Annales de Chimie, Fev. 1807, p. 127, 145 : or Journal, vol. XVIil, 

 p, 45, 50. 



:L 2 In 



