4<? Mr. Davy’s Experiments on 
this lecture, contains a volume of hvdrogene, equal to its 
own. But one of hydrogene demands half its volume of 
oxygene to convert it into water, and nitrous gas consists of 
about half a part in volume of oxygene ; so that supposing the 
whole of the hydrogene employed in absorbing oxygene 
from nitrous gas, nitrogene alone ought to be formed, and 
not nitrous oxide. Or, if the whole of the gas is nitrous oxide, 
this should contain all the nitrogene of the nitrous gas, leaving 
none to be supplied to the ammonia. I mixed together five 
cubical inches of nitrous gas, and five of sulphuretted hydro- 
gene over mercury, the barometer being at 2 9.5'*', thermo- 
meter at 51 0 Fahrenheit; twelve hours had elapsed before 
any change was perceived ; there was then a whitish precipitate 
formed, and a deep yellow liquid began to appear in drops, on 
the inside of thejar, and the volume of the gasses quickly dimi- 
nished ; after two days the diminution ceased, and the volume 
became stationary.; the barometer was at 30.45 in -, and ther- 
mometer 52 0 Fahrenheit ; when it equalled 2.3. The gas 
proved to be about \ nitrous oxide, and the remaining fourth 
was inflammable. An experiment was made expressly to 
determine the nature of the deep yellow liquid in the jar. 
It proved to be of the same kind as Boyle’s fuming liquor, 
the hydrosulphuret of ammonia, but with sulphur in great 
excess. 
In this experiment there was evidently no formation of 
nitrogene, and these complicated changes, ended in the pro- 
duction of two new compounds ; nitrogene, hydrogene ; 
oxygene and sulphur combining to form one ; and a part of 
the nitrogene and oxygene, becoming more condensed, to 
form another. 
