﻿Gooch 
  and 
  Baldwin 
  — 
  Action 
  of 
  Acetylene. 
  355 
  

  

  are 
  right, 
  the 
  error 
  being 
  in 
  their 
  reduction, 
  the 
  percentage 
  of 
  

   copper 
  amounts 
  to 
  12'92. 
  In 
  the 
  one 
  case 
  the 
  summation 
  of 
  

   the 
  analysis 
  leaves 
  a 
  deficiency 
  of 
  about 
  I'o 
  percent, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  

   other 
  of 
  about 
  4 
  percent, 
  which 
  in 
  either 
  case 
  may 
  really 
  repre- 
  

   sent 
  oxygen 
  in 
  the 
  substance. 
  This 
  condition 
  of 
  matters 
  leaves 
  

   the 
  "acetylen-kupfer 
  " 
  of 
  Erdmann 
  and 
  Kothner 
  in 
  uncertain 
  

   standing. 
  

  

  More 
  than 
  thirty 
  years 
  ago 
  it 
  was 
  noticed 
  by 
  Berthelot"^ 
  

   that 
  acetylene 
  is 
  polymerized 
  by 
  heat 
  or 
  decomposed 
  partially 
  

   into 
  carbon 
  and 
  hydrogen, 
  and 
  that 
  such 
  action 
  takes 
  place 
  

   more 
  readily 
  and 
  at 
  lower 
  temperatures 
  in 
  presence 
  of 
  metallic 
  

   iron 
  with 
  production 
  of 
  carbon, 
  hydrogen 
  and 
  compounds 
  

   different 
  from 
  those 
  formed 
  by 
  heat 
  alone. 
  

  

  Moissan 
  and 
  Moureuf 
  have 
  observed 
  the 
  incandescence 
  of 
  

   acetylene 
  passed 
  over 
  finelj^ 
  divided 
  iron, 
  cobalt, 
  nickel 
  or 
  

   platinum 
  at 
  the 
  ordinary 
  temperature, 
  with 
  production 
  of 
  car- 
  

   iDon, 
  hydrogen, 
  and 
  pyrogenic 
  compounds, 
  and 
  have 
  found 
  the 
  

   occasion 
  of 
  such 
  behavior 
  in 
  the 
  porosity 
  of 
  the 
  metals 
  

   employed. 
  

  

  It 
  would 
  seem 
  natural, 
  however, 
  that 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  oxygen, 
  

   free 
  or 
  combined, 
  may 
  also 
  play 
  a 
  considerable 
  part 
  in 
  such 
  

   phenomena, 
  just 
  as 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  case 
  in 
  the 
  peculiar 
  action 
  

   recorded 
  by 
  Gruner;}: 
  of 
  carbon 
  monoxide 
  upon 
  iron 
  reduced 
  

   by 
  hydrogen, 
  which, 
  as 
  Moissan 
  has 
  shown, 
  § 
  is 
  produced 
  pure 
  

   only 
  with 
  the 
  greatest 
  precaution 
  and 
  generally 
  carries 
  a 
  large 
  

   proportion 
  of 
  ferrous 
  oxide. 
  The 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  " 
  acetylen- 
  

   kupfer 
  " 
  of 
  Erdmann 
  and 
  Kothner 
  is 
  produced 
  more 
  easily 
  

   by 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  cuprous 
  oxide 
  upon 
  acetylene 
  than 
  by 
  the 
  

   action 
  of 
  metallic 
  copper 
  upon 
  acetylene, 
  suggests 
  that 
  it 
  may 
  

   be 
  the 
  oxidizing 
  power 
  of 
  the 
  cuprous 
  oxide 
  which 
  gives 
  to 
  

   this 
  reagent 
  its 
  peculiar 
  activity. 
  The 
  question 
  arises, 
  there- 
  

   foi'e, 
  as 
  to 
  whether 
  the 
  copper 
  is 
  in 
  reality 
  an 
  essential 
  con- 
  

   stituent 
  of 
  the 
  compound 
  of 
  Erdmann 
  and 
  Kothner. 
  

  

  In 
  our 
  experiments 
  upon 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  acetylene 
  upon 
  the 
  

   oxides 
  of 
  copper 
  (and 
  other 
  elements) 
  we 
  have 
  conducted 
  the 
  

   gas 
  (made 
  in 
  the 
  ordinary 
  way 
  by 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  water 
  on 
  cal- 
  

   cium 
  carbide, 
  and 
  kept 
  over 
  water) 
  over 
  the 
  oxide 
  contained 
  

   in 
  a 
  porcelain 
  boat 
  placed 
  within 
  a 
  glass 
  tube, 
  2°°^ 
  in 
  diameter 
  

   and 
  50*^"^ 
  long, 
  which 
  was 
  heated 
  over 
  a 
  small 
  combustion 
  

   furnace. 
  The 
  glass 
  tube 
  was 
  litted 
  at 
  each 
  end 
  with 
  a 
  rubber 
  

   stopper, 
  one 
  carrying 
  a 
  smaller 
  tube 
  for 
  the 
  introduction 
  of 
  the 
  

   acetylene 
  and 
  a 
  high-temperature 
  thermometer 
  so 
  held 
  that 
  its 
  

   bulb 
  rested 
  horizontally 
  immediately 
  over 
  the 
  boat 
  containing 
  

   the 
  oxide, 
  while 
  the 
  other 
  was 
  fitted 
  with 
  a 
  water-trap. 
  In 
  the 
  

  

  * 
  Ann. 
  d. 
  Chim. 
  et 
  d. 
  Phys. 
  [4], 
  ix, 
  448. 
  f 
  Compt. 
  Rend., 
  cxxii, 
  1240. 
  

  

  X 
  A.nn. 
  d. 
  Chim. 
  et 
  d. 
  Phys. 
  [4], 
  xxvi, 
  5. 
  

   § 
  Ann. 
  d. 
  Chim. 
  et 
  d. 
  Phys. 
  [5], 
  xxi, 
  199. 
  

  

  