1813.] Royal Society, 47 1 



Thus obtained it was a colourless liquid, like water, of a 

 pungent disagreeable taste, and a stronger smell than sulphurated 

 hydrogen gas. It boiled at the temperature of 110° or 115°; 

 and at the temperature of 53°, when the barometer stood at 30 

 inches, it was capable of furnishing a vapour which supported a 

 column of mercury 7t i'^^ches high ; so that when mixed with 

 air at the common temperature it increases its bulk one-fourth. 

 It is more volatile than ether, and produced so much cold during 

 its evaporation that mercury was frozen. The alcohol of sulphur 

 may be cooled down to —50° without congealing. It dissolves 

 in alcohol and ether, depositing at the same time its excess of 

 sulphur, if it happen to contain any. It readily dissolves sul- 

 phur. Mercury may be boiled in it without any alteration. 

 Potassium, when heated with it, undergoes no change; but 

 when heated in an exhausted retort filled with the vapour of 

 alcohol of sulphur it burns with a red colour, a black matter 

 covers its surface, and on admitting water a solution of ^hepar 

 sulphuris is formed, mixed with charcoal. 



To determine if it contained any hydrogen, its vapour was 

 mixed with dry oxygen gas, and detonated by electricity. No 

 water was obtained. Oxy muriatic acid gas was made to pass 

 through it for an hour and a half, and then through water ; but 

 no muriatic acid made its appearance, as would have been the 

 case if hydrogen had been present in the alcohol of sulphur. It 

 was made to pass through red-hot muriate of silver; but none 

 of the silver was reduced to the metallic state, as would have 

 been the case if hydrogen had been present. Finally, it was, 

 made to pass over several metallic peroxides at a red heat (as red 

 oxide of iron, black oxide of manganese). The oxides were 

 reduced, and converted to sulphurets ; but no moisture was 

 deposited in the tube, though surrounded with ice. From all 

 these trials it appears that alcohol of sulphur contains no 

 hydrogen. 



On May the 6th the remainder of the paper by Berzelius and 

 Marcet on the alcohol of sulphur was read. The next object 

 was to ascertain the presence of carbon in this oily substance. 

 When burnt in oxygen gas the residual gas was found to contain 

 sulpurous acid gas. This being removed, some carbonic acid 

 gas remained, which rendered lime-water turbid, and changed 

 pure lime into the carbonate of lime. Both these acid gases 

 being removed, a combustible gas remained, which detonated 

 when mixed with oxygen gas, and was converted into carbonic 

 acid. It was, therefore^ carbonic oxide. Alcohol of sulphur 

 being mixed with a caustic ley, with barytes-water, and with, 

 lime-water, was slowly decomposed, and a quantity of carbonic 

 acid formed. From these, and several other experiments of a 

 similar nature^ it follows demonstrably that the alcohol of sul- 



