ON ]\IETALLIC PI20SPHURETS- S75 



flammation of this mixture hy the electric sparlc, the ab- 

 sorption was found to be at first eighty ; no phosphorus was 

 deposited; and oa washing the residuum six measures more 

 were absorbed. The sixty four remaiaing were nearly pure 

 oxigen, for they were almost wholly absorbed by being fired 

 repeatedly with proportional additions of hidrogen gas. 

 The precipitate produced in the lime-vvater, being treated 

 immediately with nitric acid, dissolved in it with efferres- 

 cence: but it did not consist entirely of carbonate of lime; 

 for caustic ammonia, poured into the nitric solution, sepa- 

 rated a great part of it, namely the phosphate of lime. 

 Hence we may concliule, that fifty measures of this gas re- 

 quire thirty six of oxigen gas to burn it completely; and 

 that the products of this combustion are water, phosphoric 

 acid, and carbonic acid: consequently it is phosphocarbu- Its nature. 

 retted hidrogen gas *. 



§ 12. The liquid remaining in the matrass, in which al- P^-esickuim of 

 cohol has been boiled with phosphorus and caustic fixed al- posed alcohol, 

 kali, contains no phosphate, as we may satisfy ourselves 

 by adding lime-water to it : but if the boiling have been 

 long continued, phosphuretted hidrogen gas comes over to- 

 ward the end, the bubbles of which take fire spontaneously 

 on coming into contact with the air; and then the remain- 

 ing liquid contains more water than alcohol, and a little 

 phosphate. Hence it appearsj that the presence of caustic 

 alkali, more soluble in water than in spirit of wine, and 

 the tendency of phosphorus to unite with hidrogen and car- 

 bon, give rise to the phosphocarburetted hidrogen gas, and 

 the conversion of the alcohol into water, by subtracting 

 the whole of its carbon, and the greater part of its hidro- 

 gen. It is remarkable, that ihe phosphorus, which remains State of the 

 after long boiling in the alkaline lixivium, remains in a fluid P'^^o^P'^of"^ 

 state at a temperature of 10** [54'5'' F.] or less; but on 

 throwing it into water, or into a vessel of any kind, it be- 



* TrommsdorfT having strongly heated phosphoric acid with A similar gas 



• -> in a 



way. 



charcoal, obtained a gas, which he found to be a triple compound Ij-'Sg''!!*. /" ^ 



of hidrogen, phosphorus, and carbon. (See Van Mons's Chemi- 

 cal Journal, vol, H, p. 213 and 225.) There is every reason to 

 presmne, that his gas was the same as that I have examined, though 

 tlie methods employed to obtain the two were totally different. 



comes 



