i88 Mr. J, Davy's Account of some Experiments on the 
The experiments were thus conducted : the arsenic in one 
piece was put into a small glass retort having a stop-cock, the 
retort was exhausted, and a known volume of chlorine gas was 
admitted from a graduated receiver by means of other stop- 
cocks, and the absorption of chlorine, after the entire conver- 
sion of the metal into the fuming liquor, was considered as 
the proportion condensed by the arsenic. 
Now, since 100 cubic inches of chlorine gas weigh just 76.5 
grains, 2 grains of arsenic combine with 3.0 6 grains of chlo- 
rine, the weight of 4 cubic inches of the gas. Hence 100 of 
the fuming liquor appear to consist of 
60.48 chlorine 
39.52 arsenic 
100.00 
As the fuming liquor gives the white oxide when decom- 
posed by water, arsenicane may be substituted for its old name. 
The butter of antimony is a well known substance. That 
which I have examined was obtained by heating together cor- 
rosive sublimate and antimony, or antimony and calomel ; and 
was always purified by a second distillation at a low temper- 
ature. The best proportion of corrosive sublimate and the 
metal for making the compound, I have found to be about 
parts of the former to 1 part of the latter. 
The butter of antimony, like arsenicane, is capable, when 
rendered fluid by heat, of dissolving resin and sulphur, and 
of combining with the fixed and volatile oils. It affects the 
oil of turpentine very like the liquor of Libavius ; the action 
is considerable, much heat is produced, and the oil is rendered 
brown. 
