﻿276 
  Rayleigh 
  and 
  Ramsay 
  — 
  Argon, 
  a 
  New 
  

  

  contaminated. 
  The 
  " 
  inert 
  and 
  inodorous 
  " 
  gas 
  attacked 
  vigor- 
  

   ously 
  the 
  mercury 
  of 
  the 
  Topler 
  pump, 
  and 
  was 
  described 
  as 
  

   smelling 
  like 
  a 
  dead 
  rat. 
  As 
  to 
  the 
  weight, 
  it 
  proved 
  to 
  be 
  in 
  

   excess 
  even 
  of 
  the 
  weight 
  of 
  atmospheric 
  nitrogen. 
  

  

  The 
  corrosion 
  of 
  the 
  mercury 
  and 
  the 
  evil 
  smell 
  were 
  in 
  

   great 
  degree 
  obviated 
  by 
  passing 
  the 
  gas 
  over 
  hot 
  metals. 
  For 
  

   the 
  fillings 
  of 
  June 
  6, 
  9 
  and 
  13 
  the 
  gas 
  passed 
  through 
  a 
  short 
  

   length 
  of 
  tube 
  containing 
  copper 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  fine 
  wire 
  

   heated 
  by 
  a 
  fiat 
  Bunsen 
  burner, 
  then 
  through 
  the 
  furnace 
  over 
  

   red-hot 
  iron, 
  and 
  back 
  over 
  copper 
  oxide. 
  On 
  June 
  19 
  the 
  

   furnace 
  tubes 
  were 
  omitted, 
  the 
  gas 
  being 
  treated 
  with 
  the 
  red- 
  

   hot 
  copper 
  only. 
  The 
  mean 
  result, 
  reduced 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  correspond 
  

   with 
  those 
  above 
  quoted, 
  is 
  2*2985. 
  

  

  "Without 
  using 
  heat, 
  it 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  found 
  possible 
  to 
  pre- 
  

   vent 
  the 
  corrosion 
  of 
  the 
  mercury. 
  Even 
  when 
  no 
  urea 
  is 
  

   employed, 
  and 
  air 
  simply 
  bubbled 
  through, 
  the 
  hypobromite 
  

   solution 
  is 
  allowed 
  to 
  pass 
  with 
  constant 
  shaking 
  over 
  mercury 
  

   contained 
  in 
  a 
  U" 
  tuDe 
  > 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  metal 
  was 
  soon 
  

   fouled. 
  

  

  Although 
  the 
  results 
  relating 
  to 
  urea 
  nitrogen 
  are 
  interesting 
  

   for 
  comparison 
  with 
  that 
  obtained 
  from 
  other 
  nitrogen 
  com- 
  

   pounds, 
  the 
  original 
  object 
  was 
  not 
  attained 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  

   necessity 
  of 
  retaining 
  the 
  treatment 
  with 
  hot 
  metals. 
  We 
  

   have 
  found, 
  however, 
  that 
  nitrogen 
  from 
  ammonium 
  nitrite 
  

   may 
  be 
  prepared, 
  without 
  the 
  employment 
  of 
  hot 
  tubes, 
  whose 
  

   weight 
  agrees 
  with 
  that 
  above 
  quoted. 
  It 
  is 
  true 
  that 
  the 
  gas 
  

   smells 
  slightly 
  of 
  ammonia, 
  easily 
  removable 
  by 
  sulphuric 
  acid, 
  

   and 
  apparently 
  also 
  of 
  oxides 
  of 
  nitrogen. 
  The 
  mean 
  result 
  

   from 
  three 
  fillings 
  is 
  2*2987. 
  

  

  It 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  that, 
  in 
  spite 
  of 
  the 
  slight 
  nitrous 
  smell, 
  

   there 
  is 
  no 
  appreciable 
  difference 
  in 
  the 
  densities 
  of 
  - 
  gas 
  pre- 
  

   pared 
  from 
  ammonium 
  nitrite 
  with 
  and 
  without 
  the 
  treatment 
  

   by 
  hot 
  metals. 
  The 
  result 
  is 
  interesting 
  as 
  showing 
  that 
  the 
  

   agreement 
  of 
  numbers 
  obtained 
  for 
  chemical 
  nitrogen 
  does 
  not 
  

   depend 
  upon 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  a 
  red 
  heat 
  in 
  the 
  process 
  of 
  purifica- 
  

   tion. 
  

  

  The 
  iive 
  results 
  obtained 
  in 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  distinct 
  ways 
  for 
  

   chemical 
  nitrogen 
  stand 
  thus 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  From 
  nitric 
  oxide 
  1 
  2*3001 
  

  

  From 
  nitrous 
  oxide 
  _ 
  2*2990 
  

  

  From 
  ammonium 
  nitrite 
  purified 
  at 
  a 
  red 
  heat 
  .. 
  2*2987 
  

  

  From 
  urea 
  _ 
  _ 
  2*2985 
  

  

  From 
  ammonium 
  nitrite 
  purified 
  in 
  the 
  cold 
  2*2987 
  

  

  Mean 
  _ 
  2*2990 
  

  

  