216 Analyses of Books, [March/ 



Hy(^ropKosphonc gas is rot spontaneously combustible; but it 

 exploJes wnen mixed with air^ and heated to a temperature 

 raiher heluw 212°. Its specific gravity is 0'875 that of air being 

 1*00: 100 cubic inches of it, under the ordinary pressure and 

 temperature, weigh 26*53 grains. Its smell is disagreeable | 

 but not so much so as that of phosphureted hydrogen gas : three 

 measures of it require rather more than five measures of oxygen 

 gas fur complete combu.slion. When potassium is heated in it, 

 its bulk is doubled, phosphuret of potassium is formed, and the 

 residual gas is hydrogen. When sulphur is heated in it, the 

 bulk is also doubled, sulphureted hydrogen gas formed, and a 

 compound of sulphur and phosphorus remains. Hence the gas 

 is a compound of 4'5 hydrogen and 22*03 phosphorus, or of 100 

 hydrogen and 489 56 phosphorus. 



3. When phosphorus is converted into phosphoric acid, by 

 combustion in oxygen gas, every grain of phosphorus consumes 

 A-\ cubic inches of oxygen. Hence jphosphoric acid is composed 

 of 100 phosphorus united to 150-5 oxygen. Phosphorous acid 

 contains just half the oxygen present in phosphoric acid, or it is 

 a compound of 100 phosphorus and -5 ox3^gen. 



4. When phosphorus is slowly burnt in the air, the liquid 

 produced is a mixture of p) osphoric and phosphorous acids. 

 When phosphorus is burnt in rare air at a moderate heat the solid 

 acid produces phosphorous acid. 



5. The specific gravity ot sulphurous acid gas is 2*193, that 

 of air being i 000, and 100 cubic inches of it under the usual 

 tempemture and pressure, weigh 66*89 grains. It is composed 

 of equal weights of oxygen and sulphur. When oxygen gas is 

 converted into sulphi rous acid gas the bulk is not altered. 



6. The specific gravity of sulphureted hydrogen gas is I'l/T? 

 that of air being 1*000 : 100 cubic inches of it, under tlie 

 common temperature and pressure, weigh 35*89 grains. It is 

 composed ot 100 parts, by weight, of hydrogen and 1509 of 



Sulp!)*T. 



7- Sulphuric acid, free from water, does not appear possible to 

 be formed. Dry swiphurous acid gas and nitrous acid gases have 

 110 action on each other. 



8. The liquid compound of sulphur and chlorine, which I 

 discovered about eight years ago, is composed of 30 sulphur and. 

 67 chiorine. 



9. W ''(r I as the property of combining in definite propor- 

 tions with a greai number of bodies, and it lias a considerable 

 effe'-t on tlieir properties. In this manner it combines with the 

 earths^ alkalies, and most of the metallic oxides. 



