ON THE COMBINATIONS OF OXIGEN. g.15 



cient to observe, that from the late experiments of Mr. 

 Davy, the former two are found to be oxides; and hence 

 their combinations with the alkalis do not at all invalidate 

 the preceding doctrine, but tend to contirni it. The sul- 

 phuretted hidrogen too does most probably contain oxigeu, 

 us every body has suspected, from its properties as an acid, 

 even that distinctive one of reddening vegetable blues. 

 *' Kirwan was unable to form it by melting sulphur in a 

 *' vessel containing hidrogen gas; and the Dutch chemists 

 •' were equally unsuccessful either with this method, or by 

 *' passing hidrogen gas through a tube containing liquid 

 " sulphur*." From this then it appears, that the presence 

 of atmospheric air is necessary to form the sulphuretted hi- 

 drogen, and hence we may infer with probability, that oxi- 

 gen enters into the combination. 



If sulphur contain oxigenjthen it will naturally be asked, and of sulphur 

 why does it combine with the metals, which do not contain w"h "petals, 

 oxigen ? To this I am ready to answer, that it is in some 

 cases certain, in others more than probable, that the metal 

 is oxidated during the operation; not indeed from the at- 

 mosphere, or other external sources, but from the sulphur 

 itself; and this need not appear strange, for in the same man- 

 ner the metals are oxidated by the acids, which afterward dis- 

 solve them : but this is not hypothesis, it is founded on the 

 most unexceptionable experiments. Berthollet " formed 

 *' metallic sulphurets, performing the experiments in an 

 *' earthen retort, and after taking every precaution to avoid 

 « any source of uncertainty, he obtained sulphuretted hi- 

 *' drogen; the metals he used were iron, copper, and mer-< 

 *' cury, the last afforded the largest quantity f." Here 

 then is unequivocally the decomposition of the sulphur; 

 and the experiment is a more important argument, because 

 it was made with a very different view from that with which 

 1 have applied it, i. e. to prove, beyond the possibility of 

 mistake, that, during the formation of metallic sulphurets, 

 hidrogen is liberated ; and, as this is proved, it remains, that 

 the combination in the retort will contain a larger propor- 

 tion of the other principles of the sulphur, one of which is 

 oxigen, 



* Mvuray. t Murray. 



And 



