Mr Graham on Phosphuretted Hydrogen. 97 



2 



Alcohol (sp. gr. 850), .... 

 Sulphuric Ether, ..... 2 

 Oil of Turpentine, .... 3^ 



The essential oils and most of the hydrocar burets appear to 

 withdraw, or to negative the peculiar principle in spontaneously 

 inflammable phosphuretted hydrogen in a rapid manner. If a 

 jar be moistened, in the slightest degree, with oil of turpentine, 

 coal-tar naphtha, or by the liquid distilled from caoutchouc, and 

 then be used as a receiver for containing self-accendible gas, 

 either over water or mercury, the gas is found to lose its sponta- 

 neous inflammability in a very few minutes. White fumes often 

 appear in the gas at the same time, but these I am satisfied are 

 due to the evolution of some gaseous oxygen from the liquids, 

 and appear in the case of the portion of gas which is first brought 

 into contact with the liquid, but do not occur in the case of sub- 

 sequent additions of gas, although the liquid remains capable of 

 destroying the spontaneous accendibility of many portions of gas, 

 successively exposed to it. It is not easy to decide whether the 

 vapours destroy irrecoverably the peculiar substance of sponta- 

 neous inflammability, or merely negative the action of that prin- 

 ciple by their presence. 



I am inclined to think, however, that they destroy that princi- 

 ple, for the action is not so rapid as the diffusion of the vapour 

 through the gas, the impregnation appearing to be fully accom- 

 plished, and yet the loss of inflammability not occurring some- 

 times for two or three minutes afterwards, particularly in the case 

 of naphtha, a portion of that pure liquid, in which potassium had 

 been preserved, being used in the experiment. A small addition 

 of ether-vapour also destroys the inflammability of phosphuret- 

 ted hydrogen, although a distinct interval must elapse before the 

 change occurs, such as a quarter or half of an hour. 



The action of alcohol vapour is much slower, generally re- 

 quiring two or three hours. Pure olefiant gas, containing no air, 

 added in the proportion of 10 or 20 per cent., eventually de- 

 void XIII. PAIIT I. N 



