368 ON METALLIC PHOS^fHtRfctS. 



IX. 



Experiments on the Combination of Phosphorus with Metati 

 and their Oxides in the humid Way; to which is added the 

 Examination of a Gas Arising from a peculiar Decompo^ 

 sition of Alcohol : 63/ Mir. Theodore de Grotthuss*. 



Phenomena § !• 1^ ^^ ^'^^^ krtown, that the surface of water be- 



exhibitedby comes luminous in the dark, when spirit of wine, in which 

 phosphorus in phosphorus had been digested, is poured on it. Another 

 alcohol. curious appearance may be exhibited, by half filling a small 



phial with this alcohol, and putting it in a dark place, at a 

 temperature of about 64'' R. [176'^ F.] Even before the 

 liquid begins to boil, a flame makes its appearance at the 

 mouth of the phial, and reaches sometimes to the height of 

 five or six inches, but is incapable of heating or setting fire 

 to any thing. You may hold your finger in it some time 

 without danger, and without feeling any heat. This flame 

 exhibits to us an intermediate state between a simply lumi- 

 nous vapour, as is that of phosphu retted nitrogen, and aii 

 inflamed vapour, which in fact differs from it only by more 

 rapidly decomposing the oxigen gas of the atmosphere. 

 Metallic phos- § 2. Phosphuretted alcohol, poured into solutions of 

 phurets pro- gold, silver, mercury, and copper, suddenly reduces these 

 four metals, and precipitates them in the state of real 

 phosphurets. Two drops of nitrate of silver, or of mer- 

 cury, in a drinking glass full of disfilled water, will be 

 rendered very sensible by the addition of a few drops of 

 phosphuretted ^alcohol, which immediately occasion a 

 Phosphuretof dark precipitate. The phosphuret of gold thus obtained 

 6°^"' had a considerable resemblance to the purple powder of 



Cassius, but differed from it in being of a deeper colour 

 like that of indigo. When applied on porcelain, this ap- 

 pears neatly gilt on being exposed to the flame of the 

 blowpipe,- and a smell of phosphorus is emitted. 

 Phosphurets of "^^^ most essential generic characters of the other phos- 

 sitver, mercury, phu rets are : 1, to dissolve in nitric acid, with the evolu- 

 an copper, ^.^^ ^^ nitrous gas, after which an insoluble phosphuret 



* Annales de Chimie, vol. LXIV, p. 19. 



remains : 



