190 Mr. J. Davy’s Account of some Experiments on the 
butter of antimony seem to consist of 
39.58 chlorine 
60.42 antimony 
100.00 
This compound, as it yields when decomposed by water the 
submuriated protoxide, may be called antimoniane or stibiane. 
A compound of bismuth and chlorine has been long known 
bearing the name of the butter of bismuth. It is obtained both 
when bismuth is heated with corrosive sublimate and calomel. 
2 parts of corrosive sublimate to 1 part of metal, I have found 
good proportions for its preparation. There is some difficulty 
in procuring it pure and entirely free from the mercury re- 
vived ; this is most readily effected by keeping the butter of 
bismuth in fusion, at a temperature just below that at which 
mercury boils ; the mercury slowly subsides and collects in 
the bottom of the vessel, and this operation continued for an 
hour or two affords a pure or nearly pure butter of bismuth. 
Thus prepared, it is of a grayish white colour, opaque, un- 
crystallized, and of a granular texture. In a glass tube, with 
a very small orifice, it bears a red heat without subliming. 
As a hydrosulphuret of bismuth is produced when the butter 
of bismuth is heated with the hydrosulphuret of potash, and 
as this hydrosulphuret, like that of antimony, affords, when 
decomposed by heat, a sulphuret and water, I have applied 
the same mode of analysis to this compound as to the last. 
55 grains of butter of bismuth were decomposed in a warm 
solution of hydrosulphuret of potash. The dark brown hy- 
drosulphuret of bismuth thus formed, and not dissolved, was 
collected on a filter ; the hydrosulphuretted solution was 
