^y OPX NITROGEN AVli> AMMONIA. 



ft contained no oxigen; 6 measures mixed with 3 measuips 

 of oxigen diminished to 5; so that it consisted of <'2'6 of 

 bidrogeu, and 3-4 of a gas, having the characters of ni- 

 trogen. 

 appaTently in This experiment seemed in favour of the idea of the pro- 

 favour of it. duction of nitrogen from pure water in these electrical pro- 

 Butthcnitro- cesses; but though the platina wires were hermetically 

 f en [)n)b.»bly sealed into the tube^ it occurred to me as possible, that, at 



f rota the at- , _ , , i i i ^ • i t i 



niosphere. the moment of the explosion by the electrical discharge, 

 the sudden expansions and contractions might occasion 

 6ome moaientary communication with the external air 

 through the aperture; and I resolved to make the expenr 

 inents in a method, by which the atmosphere was entirely 

 excluded. This was easily done by plunging the whole of 

 the apparatus, except the upper parts of the communicating 

 wires, under oil, and carrying on the piocesa as before. lu 

 this experiment the residuum did not seem to increase quite 

 so fast as in the preceding one. It was carried on for nearly 

 two months. After 340 explosions, the permanent gas equal- 

 led tVV of a cubical inch. It was carefully examined; six 

 ipeaslires of it detonated with three measures of oAigen, dimi- 

 nished to rather le^s than 1 measure. A result whicli stems 

 to show, that nitrogen is not fornjed during the electrical 

 decomposition and recompo-ition of water, and that the 

 residual gas is hidrogen. That the hidrogen is in excess 

 may be easily referred to a slight qx id ation of the platina. 

 In the prdue The refined experiments of Mr. Cavendish on the defla- 

 tion yf waier gr^tion of mixtures of oxigen, hidroo-en, and nitroeen, lead 

 no M-irous acid ". i • . i " 5 ' ^ " 



produced un- directly to the conclusion, tnat the nitrous acid, sometimes 

 less nitrogen generated in experiments on the production of water, owes 

 its origin to nitrogen, mixed with the oxigen and hidrogen, 

 and is never produced from those two gasses alone. In 

 the Bakerian lecture for 1806', I have stated several facts, 

 which seemed to show, that the nitrous acid, which appears 

 in many processes of the V^oltaic electrization of water, can- 

 not be formed unless nitrogen be present. 

 T-xperimertsto Though in these experiments i endeavoured to guard 

 prov, 'hat no ^j^h g^-eat care at^ainst all causes of mistake, and thouirh 

 acid ftralKMit IS 111 I ,111- 



proiiuc.l from I.do not well bte hov/ 1 could Jail into an orrour, yet I find, 

 jpjre waer. j|^^t the assertion, that both a<ids and alkalis may be pro- 

 duced 



