CAPTAIN NOBLE AND MR, F. A. ABEL ON FIRED GUNPOWDER. 
277 
Note. 
(Added 9th March, 1880.) 
Since this memoir was submitted to the Society, we have been led, in consequence 
of a communication made to us by Dr. Debus, to modify considerably our views with 
regard to the formation of hyposulphite. 
The experiments rendered necessary by Dr. Debus’ discovery are fully described 
and discussed in a note submitted to the Royal Society,'" but as the facts there given 
have led us to the conclusion “ that although it would seem that in certain cases and 
under certain exceptional circumstances potassium hyposulphite does exist as a 
secondary, it exists in no case as a primary product, and should not, therefore, be 
reckoned among the normal constituents of powder residues,” we have recalculated 
the whole of our analytical results, and we append two tables, Nos. XIT. and XIII., 
giving for each experiment the products of decomposition calculated on the hypothesis 
that prior to removal from the explosion vessel the whole of the hyposulphite found 
was in the form of mono or polysulphides. 
* Proc. Roy. Soc., vol. xxx., p. 198. 
