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tact with either of these fluids ; but as it is much heavier than com- 

 mon air, the author was enabled to collect it in sufficient quantity 

 for examination., and nearly in a pure state, from a tubulated retort 

 by means of a bent tube reaching to the bottom of small narrow- 

 mouthed bottles, with ground stoppers. 



The gas. when thus obtained., is of a pale reddish yellow colour ; 

 has an odour somewhat resembling that of chlorine, though less pun- 

 gent. From its strong affinity for moisture, it fumes when brought 

 into contact with the air. In its ordinary state of dryness it destroys 

 vegetable colours, readily bleaching turmeric paper : litmus paper, 

 however, is reddened by it before it is bleached. But when carefully 

 dried by means of fused chloride of sodium, it does not affect those 

 substances. This gas does not support combustion ; but the biful- 

 minate of silver explodes in it. 



The author next describes its action upon phosphorus, sulphur, 

 antimony, arsenic, bismuth, tin. copper, zinc, iron, lead, gold, silver, 

 platina, mercury ., sulphuric ether, alcohol, oil of turpentine, naphtha, 

 concentrated muriatic acid, iodine, and bromine. With hydrogen 

 gas it forms a mixture which explodes when ignited. 



The general conclusion which the author draws from his experi- 

 ments is, that this gas is an actual compound of chlorine and nitrous 

 gas, and he therefore gives it the name of the chloro-nitrous gas. 

 XVhen collected over mercury, one portion of it forms with that metal 

 a white compound, which appears to be a mixture of calomel and 

 corrosive sublimate, whilst the remainder is found to give orange 

 vapours with common air. attended with a diminution of volume, 

 and to be almost wholly absorbed by a recent solution of green sul- 

 phate of iron. He also infers that the gas consists of equal volumes 

 of chlorine and nitrous gas, combined together without any conden- 

 sation, its atomic number being 10-2. He finds its specific gravity , 

 compared with that of atmospheric air, to be 1.759. 



In the mutual decomposition of chloride of sodium and nitric acid, 

 the products appear to be chloro-nitrous and chlorine gases, and 

 nitrate of soda. The author explains the changes which take place in 

 the following manner : — the nitric acid, by its partial decomposition, 

 yields nitrous gas and oxygen: the former unites with part of the 

 chlorine expelled from the chloride of sodium, to form chloro-nitrous 

 gas, whilst the latter combines with the sodium to form soda, which, 

 with the remaining nitric acid, compose nitrate of soda. The re- 

 mainder of the chlorine mixes with the chloro-nitrous gas. 



The author states that the two component gases of the chloro- 

 nitrous gas unite at once when brought into contact, after having 

 been dried in the most careful manner possible ; a fact which is con- 

 trary to the opinion generally entertained among chemists. 



By passing chloro-nitrous gas through water an acid is obtained, 

 which appears to resemble very closely the common solvent of gold, 

 or aqua regia, otherwise called the nitro-muriatic acid. The author 

 here remarks, that if the constitution of the chloro-nitrous gas be 

 such as he has stated, that is, composed of 30 by weight of nitrous 

 gas, and 72 of chlorine, one of its proportionals should decompose 



